70.00€
A fine and collectible fifth edition of Άσμα ηρωικό και πένθιμο για τον χαμένο ανθυπολοχαγό της Αλβανίας (An Heroic and Funeral Chant for the Lost Second Lieutenant of Albania), by the distinguished Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Odysseas Elytis.
Published in Athens in 1979 by the prestigious Ikaros Publishing Company, this important poetic work commemorates the Greek soldiers who fought and fell during the Greco-Italian War of 1940–1941 on the Albanian front.
The edition is particularly distinguished by its artistic presentation, featuring a cover and an out-of-text frontispiece by Yiannis Moralis (Γιάννης Μόραλης), one of the most important Greek painters of the twentieth century. The combination of Elytis’s powerful poetry and Moralis’s artwork makes this a particularly appealing edition for collectors of modern Greek literature and art.
Originally written in the context of the Second World War, the poem is both an elegy for a fallen young officer and a celebration of courage, sacrifice and the collective spirit of the Greek people. Through its lyrical intensity, Elytis transforms the tragedy of war into a timeless meditation on heroism, loss and national memory.
Bibliographical Details
Condition
Vintage collectible edition. Please refer to the photographs for a detailed assessment of the item’s condition. The photographs form an integral part of the description and show the actual copy offered for sale.
About the Author
Odysseas Elytis (1911–1996), born Odysseas Alepoudellis, was one of the most important figures in modern Greek literature. A poet, essayist, translator and man of letters, he became the leading exponent of romantic modernism in Greece, combining surrealist influences with the mythology, history and traditions of his homeland.
His poetry is deeply inspired by the Greek landscape, the Mediterranean light, the Aegean Sea, ancient ruins and the enduring relationship between nature and human existence. In 1979, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming one of the most internationally celebrated Greek literary figures.
The Historical Background
Elytis’s connection with this poem was deeply personal. Following the Italian invasion of Greece in October 1940, he was called up as a reserve officer and served on the Albanian front with the rank of second lieutenant in the First Army Corps.
His wartime experiences profoundly influenced his poetic vision. The resistance of the Greek soldiers against a numerically superior enemy became, in his work, an expression of courage, spiritual freedom and the heroic dimension of the human spirit.
This poem stands as one of the most moving literary tributes to the Greek soldiers who lost their lives during the Albanian campaign, transforming a specific historical tragedy into a universal work of remembrance.
A significant and beautifully conceived edition of modern Greek poetry, combining the Nobel laureate’s powerful literary vision with the artwork of Yiannis Moralis. An appealing collectible for admirers of Odysseas Elytis, Greek history and twentieth-century Greek art.
