65.00€
A beautiful and well-preserved second edition of Το Φωτόδεντρο και η Δέκατη Τέταρτη Ομορφιά (The Light Tree and the Fourteenth Beauty), by the celebrated Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Odysseas Elytis.
Published in Athens in 1974 by the prestigious Ikaros Publishing Company, this important poetry collection is a remarkable example of Elytis’s distinctive poetic universe, where surrealist imagination meets the Mediterranean landscape, Greek cultural heritage and the eternal quest for beauty.
The book explores themes of light, innocence, nature, love and spiritual transcendence through Elytis’s characteristic lyrical language and imaginative symbolism.
This edition is particularly attractive for its artistic presentation, featuring a distinctive minimalist cover illustration and a frontispiece by Nikos Nikolaou (Νίκος Νικολάου), one of the notable figures of modern Greek painting.
The elegant visual design complements the poetic atmosphere of the collection, making this an appealing example of the close relationship between Greek literature and visual art during the twentieth century.
Bibliographical Details
Condition
Very good vintage condition.
The cream-toned covers remain structurally sound, with attractive green ink detailing on the cover illustration. The spine is clean and intact. The interior pages are bright, crisp and clean, without writing, notes or highlighting.
A beautifully preserved copy showing minimal vintage shelf wear. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description and document the actual condition of the book.
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 intellectual, he became a leading exponent of romantic modernism, combining surrealist influences with the mythology, history and traditions of Greece.
His poetry is profoundly connected to the Mediterranean world: the intense sunlight, the blue Aegean Sea, the islands, the ancient ruins and the relationship between nature and human existence.
His masterpiece Άξιον Εστί (To Axion Esti, 1959) is considered one of the defining works of twentieth-century Greek poetry. In 1979, Elytis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in recognition of his outstanding contribution to world literature.
A particularly attractive collectible edition by Greece’s Nobel Prize-winning poet, enhanced by the artwork of Nikos Nikolaou. An excellent addition to a collection of modern Greek poetry, illustrated literature and twentieth-century European books.
