Aris Alexandrou (Greek Άρης Αλεξάνδρου) (1922 - 2 July 1978) was a Greek novelist, poet and translator. Always on the Left but always unconventional ("I belong to the non-existent party of poets"), he is the author of a single novel (To kivotio - Mission Box) which is widely considered to be among the classic modern Greek works in the second half of the 20th century. 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up left in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Life

Alexandrou was born in Leningrad to a Greek father (Vasilis Vasiliadis) and a Russian mother (Polina Antovna Vilgelmson). Aristotle Vasiliadis (who at that time had yet not adopted the name Aris Alexandrou) and his parents moved to Greece in 1928, initially residing in Thessaloniki and shortly thereafter in Athens. Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece. ...

He graduated from highschool in 1940, taking the university entrance exam at the engineering school (following his father's wishes) and failing. After that, he was admitted to the Athens University of Economics and Business. In 1942 he decided to drop out of the university and devote himself to work as a translator.

At the same time, he joined a small resistance group (this was the time of the Nazi occupation of Greece). This small group was integrated in the communist youth resistance movement; Alexandrou was not able to cope with the hierarchical organization of the communist party and therefore left the party a few months later.

The fact that he was no longer actively involved in the Party did not stop the British authorities (after the liberation of Greece and their installation there as a de facto ruler) from arresting him and sending to the El Tampa camp, wherein he remained up to April 1945. Furthermore, even though he did not participate in the ensuing Greek Civil War (1946-1949) he was arrested due to his refusal to disavow his political beliefs. From July 1948 up to October 1951 he was exiled to the camps of Moudros, Makronisos and Agios Efstratios. 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants Hellenic Army, Royalist forces, Republicans, British troops Communist guerillas (ELAS, DSE) Commanders Alexander Papagos, Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos, James Van Fleet Markos Vafiadis Strength 100,000 men 20,000 men and women[citation needed] Casualties 12,777 killed 37,732 wounded 4,527 missing 38,000 killed[citation needed] 40,000...

In November 1952 he was court-martialled for draft-dodging (while he was in exile). The initial verdict was 10 years in prison; Alexandrou did time in the prisons of Averof, Aighina and Gyaros. The review board reduced his sentence down to 7 years, and he was finally discharged in August 1958.

After being discharged from prison he married Kaiti Drosou. In 1967 (after the junta of April 21) they decided to move to Paris to avoid possible new arrests. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ...

Alexandrou died in Paris on July 2, 1978 from a heart attack, having lived to see his only novel published in French translation. July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 182 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...

Poetry, prose and translations

Many of Alexandrou's poems were written while he was in exile, and focus around socialism, writing, as well as more personal issues. Mayakovsky's influence is strong and is made explicit. Portrait of Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский) (July 7 (O.S.) = July 19 (N.S.), 1893 - April...

His only novel (Mission box) is about the civil war still taking place in September 1949 in Greece. However the locations mentioned are fictitious. The setting is the following. A team of soldiers on the communist side (which was fighting against the government side) had to carry out an all-important operation: to transport a mission box from one city to another. The mission goes haywire, and at the end the narrator (who was a member of this team) is arrested (not knowing by whom, but initially assuming that it was by "his" side). The book is made up of the "apology" that he writes out on a daily basis on the sheets of paper that his captors provide him with. 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

Mission Box is also very interesting for its elaborate prose. The last chapter is a 45-pages long sentence (and actually a question since it ends with a question mark) reminiscent of the final chapter of Ulysses. Ulysses is a 1922 novel by James Joyce, first serialized in parts in the American journal The Little Review from 1918 to 1920, and published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on February 2, 1922, in Paris. ...

Most of Alexandrou's translations are from the Russian: this was how Alexandrou made ends meet through most of his life. His translations consisted mainly of prose writings (Dostoyevsky, Gorky, Ehrenburg among many others) but he also translated poems (for example Mayakovsky, Akhmatova). Fyodor Dostoevsky. ... Gorkys autographed portrait Aleksei Maksimovich Peshkov (In Russian Алексей Максимович Пешков) (March 28 [O.S. March 16] 1868–June 14, 1936), better known as Maxim Gorky (Максим Горький), was a Soviet/Russian author, a founder of the socialist realism literary method and a political activist. ... Ilya Grigoryevich Ehrenburg (Илья́ Григо́рьевич Эренбу́рг) (January 27, 1891–August 31, 1967) was a Soviet Jewish writer and journalist whose 1954 novel gave name to the Khrushchev Thaw. ... Portrait of Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский) (July 7 (O.S.) = July 19 (N.S.), 1893 - April... Akhmatova in the 1920s Anna Akhmatova (Russian: , real name А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко) (June 23, 1889 (June 11, Old Style) - March 5, 1966) was the pen name of Anna Andreevna Gorenko, the leader and the heart and soul of St Petersburg tradition of Russian poetry in the course of half a century. ...

==Works==* 1975: To kivotio, Kedros Publ., Athens -- English translation: Mission Box, Kedros Publ., Athens, 1996 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

• 1978: Poems (1941-1974), Ypsilon Publ., Athens

• 1984: Dialexa, Agra Publ., Athens (Greek translation by Alexandrou of miscellaneous poems; edited by Kaiti Drosou)

1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Poetic and political ethics by Dimitris Maronitis

• A brief biography and a compilation of critical appraisals of Alexandrou's work (in Greek)