Dr Nick Trakakis will give a lecture entitled Tasos Leivaditis: Poet of Revolutions and Sunsets, on Thursday 22 September at 7 pm, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne.
Tasos Leivaditis (1922-88) was born and raised in Athens, taking an interest in both poetry and politics from a young age. He joined the communist-led resistance in WWII, but with the escalation of the civil war in 1948 he was arrested and detained on island prison camps in the Aegean, including Makronisos. He was released late in 1951, and soon after made his poetic debut, giving vivid expression to the horrors of war and the yearning for justice and peace. He went on to work as a literary critic for a left-leaning newspaper while also producing a rich oeuvre of twenty books of poetry that would win him both critical and popular renown in Greece.
To mark the 100th anniversary of Leivaditis’ birth, an overview will be provided of Leivaditis’ life and a brief introduction given to his major works.
Dr Nick Trakakis is Senior Lecturer in philosophy at the Australian Catholic University, and also writes and translates poetry. His translations of Tasos Leivaditis’ work include “The Blind Man with the Lamp” (Denise Harvey Publications, 2014), “Violets for a Season” (Red Dragonfly Press, 2017), “Autumn Manuscripts” (Smokestack Books, 2020, joint winner of the NSW Premier’s Translation Prize), and “Enchiridion Euthanasiæ” (Human Side Press, 2021).
When: Thursday 22 September 2022, 7pm
Where: The Greek Centre (Mezzanine, 168 Lonsdale St, Melbourne) and online via Facebook, Youtube, Twitter
