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Ilias Gris

Ilias Gris is a Greek poet who belongs in the generation of the 70’s.

Biography

Ilias Gris, whooriginated from Ilia, was born in 1952. He lived in Krestena, Olympia during his childhood years until the age of 17. He finished Junior High School in Athens and studied Economics at the Higher School of Industrial Studies (later named University of Piraeus).

He worked as a journalist from 1975 to 2010 in a variety of different Media outlets, but mainly on the National Radio and Television of Greece (ERT), in which he, inter alia (reporter, writer, editor-in-chief) did reportage, research, broadcasts of historic content and finally organized and hosted the cultural broadcast MORFES TEXNIS (1999-2003), which featured litterateurs and composers.

He appeared as a writer in 1977 with his first work, the poetic compendium “Omologies” (Confessions), which he later renounced.

Since then he published six compendiums and the collection of poems“Lithargos Kosmos” (1977-1987),(Lethargy World)  2014.

He also published three works of fiction, one tome dedicated to Takis Sinopoulos and four thematic anthologies.

In 2009 he published a tome of essays called “Peri Poiiseos” (About Poetry).

With his wife Kerasia Karali he translated poems of Rupert Brooke, 2015.

Part of Ilias Gris’ poetry has been translated into English, Italian, Bulgarian, German, Russian, Spanish, Persian, French, Albanianand more. In 2006 a selection of poems was published as a tome in Bulgaria by Balkani Publishing House,translated by Jeyna Nedeltcheva, in 2014 in Italy by Fermenti Publications, translated by Cresenzio Sangiglio and in Albania by “Neraida” publications, translated by Nikos Katsalidas.

In 1986 he partook in the 6thInternational Writer Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.

He was a member of the Scenario Committee of ERT, (1993-1995), the Committee of National Literary Awards of Cyprus, (2003-2005) and the Board Of Directors at the Educational Institution of ESIEA, (2010-2013).

He is a member of ESIEA and the Hellenic Authors’ Society.

2.Works

2.1 Poetry

Rimagmeni Politeia, 1980, 1984.

Sta Gefyria toy Kosmou, 1982.

Exthriko Topio, 1983, 1985, 1990.

Lithargos Kosmos, 1987, 1990.

I Efesos ton Alogon, 1993, 2012.

Alfeios Progonos, 2005.

Lithargos Kosmos, Sygkentrotiki Ekdosi (1977-1987), 2014.

2.2 Prose

Oi Aglykantoi, 1980, 1983.

To Mati tou Asylou (The Eye of the Asylum), 1990(2), 1998.

Arseniki Erimos (Male Desert), 1996(2).

2.3 Essays

TAKIS SINOPOULOS, enoikos tora toy pantotinou kekiromenos, 1996.

Peri Poiiseos (About Poetry), 2009.

2.4 Anthologies

TO MELANI FONAZEI H 17h Noemvri 1973 sti logotexnia, 2003, 2013.

H ARXAIA PATRIDA TON POIIMATON Neoellines poiites gia tin arxaia Ellada, 2004.

To 1821 stin elliniki poiisi, 2011.

O Papadiamantis me ta matia neoteron logotexnon, 2011.

O Taxidromos fernei grammata poiimata, 2017.

2.5 Translations

RUPERT BROOKE, Ta poiimata, o poiitis kai i Skyros.

Introduction – Translation – Chronology (with Kerasia Karali), 2015

2.6 Television Shows

Television Shows (SELECTION)

“THYMAMAI…” – Polytexneio, (with director Stauros Stratigakos). ET1 Friday, 17th of November 1986.

“GRIGORIS LAMPRAKIS O protolatis tis eirinis”, (with Nikos Papathanasiou). ET1, May 23 1986.

“TO AIMA TON DIAKOSION”, (with Kim Dimon). ET1, Sunday May 1st1988.

“TO ASMA TOU ALEXANDROU” PANAGOULI, NET, May 1st 2000, as a part of the television series MORFES TEXNIS.

“NIKOS PAPAZOGLOU. The bard of the north” – MORFES TEXNIS, NET, Monday the 18th of March 2002.

“THOMAS BAKALAKOS” – MORFES TEXNIS, NET, August 21st 2002.

“STELIOS KAZANTZIDIS. The poetry of voice” – MORFES TEXNIS, NET, Wednesday the 4th of September 2002.

“MARIOS TOKAS” – MORFES TEXNIS, NET, Christmas of 2002-2003.

2.7 Translations of his work

“Ilias Gris, moba, koemo uckam ga kanga”, transl. Jeyna Nedeltcheva, Balkani, 2006.

“Ilias Gris, Blatime”, Poezi, transl. Nikos Katsalidas, Neraida, 2014.

“Ilias Gris, Amore a Olymbia”, transl. Cresenzio Sangiglio, Fermenti, Roma 2014.

3. The poetry of Gris

The poetry of Ilias Gris is social, existential, philosophical. In all of his poetic and fictional work there is an underlying ground,consisting of these three parameters. From his first published work, even, “Rimagmeni Politeia”, 1980, until his fourth, Lithargos Kosmos, 1987, the pulse of the world, with the vehement differences, living inside his versesclassifies him partly at the side ofthe socialist poets but “his voice is distinct because it holds or holds on to the roots of an experiential adolescence, in all actuality, and a poetic alertness”. He himself, with a confessional note and diction will say, that “through the post-political environment of politics, social ebullition, it seems logical that I followed a trend that inclined toward poetry regarding a social esprit”. The prophetical tone of the first few publications, according to Alexis Ziras, “is a tone/accent of great impetusand elan, foreshadows the poet’s passage to “Efesos ton Alogon”, 1993, to a writing style that is searching through the conscious deduction the achronical/eternal, the primitive, the Heraclitian fluidity of things”.The poems of this collection “constitute an arc in my already-existing aesthetic pursuits”, the poet quotes.

Anthoula Daniil also writes, regarding the second printing of the publishing “Efesos ton Alogon”, that “the horses of Efesos do not exist, but they are “galloping” to bring back the message of the illusion of our existence or the existence of our illusion”.

With his sixth collection of poems “Alfeios Progonos”, 2005 –as quoted by Mihalis Meraklis- “Gris articulates his honest speech, immediate and authentic” while critic Nikitas Parisis says that “the collection of poems by Ilias Gris functioned as a strong reading surprise. Just as I was thinking that the poetic “Generation of the ‘70s” was beginning to close its poetic or even its biological cycle, I was found by Gris’ verses as an unexpected poetic happening of special weight”.

“The poetic voice of Ilias Gris is different, because his point of view is disparate: he stares at the world in the eyes, without concave and disfiguring mirrors”, as quoted by Agathi Georgiadou, “Themata Logotexnias”, issue 35, 2006.

Poet Thanasis Kostavaras in one of his rare critiqueshe will point out that “it is reassuring, the fact that poets such as Ilias Gris exist, who practice a poetry of responsibility, a poetry that is not mouthpiece (…) but one that gives courage and strength⸱ a poetry that, as an ethical, aesthetic and philosophical presence: functions”.

“With “Alfeios Progonos” ”, Alexis Ziras writes, “the transcendence, the exaltation of poetic drama is grounded. But such grounding in reality also means the return to the pain in the measured horizon of human passions”.

10. References

·      The page of Ilias Gris on the website of the Hellenic Authors’ Society.

·      His page on the website of EKEBI and Biblionet.

·      His page on the website of diapolitismos.gr

·      His appearance on the webpage poeticanet.gr

·      His appearance on the webpage diastixo.gr

·      His participation in the 1st National Festival of Poetry in Athens.