Aristotelis Valaoritis

Aristotelis Valaoritis (Greek Αριστοτέλης Βαλαωρίτης, * 1824 in Lefkada, † 1879 ibid ) was a 19th century Greek poet of national epics about the freedom struggle of the Greek Armatoles (Greek Αρματωλοί - Armatolí, Armed ') against Ottoman rule and one of the known poets of his time.

He was born in 1824 to a rich family in Lefkada, went there and at Corfu to school to study law later in France and Italy. However, he has never worked as a lawyer, but devoted himself solely with the seal. After his studies he lived on the family-owned picturesque island Maroudi west of Lefkada.

Valaoritis wrote epics about the Greek revolution of 1821 (also Greek uprising ) and their champions. He was the first Greek national poet, who turned to the language of the people. In addition to the seal, he became involved in politics and fought for the rights of his home, the " Eptanisa " of the Ionian Islands and for the liberation of Epirus from Turkish rule.

He died in 1879 in Lefkada from heart failure. His son Ioannis was a famous Greek banker, his great-grandson Nanos Valaoritis is a poet, writer and professor of comparative literature and creative writing in San Francisco.

Works

Individual poems

• Woman Phrosyni - Η Κυρά Φροσύνη (1859 )
• Athanasion Diakos - Αθανάσιος Διάκος (1867 )
• Thanasis Vagias - Θανάσης Βάγιας (1867 )
• Astrapogiannos - Αστραπόγιαννος (1867 )
• The statue of Gregory the ....... V. - Ο ανδριάς του αοιδίμου Γρηγορίου του Ε (1872 )
• Photinos - Ο Φωτεινός ( ημιτελές )

Works

• Stichiurgimata - Στιχουργήματα (1847 )
• Memory - Mnimosyna - Μνημόσυνα ( 1857)
• Poems (2 volumes) - Ποιήματα ( δίτομο ) ( 1891)
• Works - Εργα (1893 )
• Life and Work ( 3 volumes) - Βίος και έργα ( τρίτομο ) ( 1907)
• Poems and stories - Ποιήματα ανέκδοτα (1937 )
• Complete edition (2 volumes) - Τα άπαντα ( δίτομο ) ( 1968)