1. Dionysios Solomos
Dionysios Solomos was a Greek poet from Zakynthos, who lived from 1798 to
1857. He is considered as the Greek national poet as the two
first stanzas of his poem Hymn to Liberty has been declared
as the national Anthem of Greece. Solomos is also credited
as the first to create a modern poetic culture in Greece. He
was the central figure of the Heptanese School of poetry.
He contributed to the preservation of earlier poetic
tradition and highlighted its usefulness to modern
literature.
Solomos started writing poetry in Italian, as he was a fluent
speaker of the language and had great knowledge of Italian literature. Soon
he was liberally welcomed in Italian literary circles as a brilliant poet in the
Italian language. When Solomos returned to Zakynthos, with his background
in Italian literature, he found a flourishing literary culture. He made many
friends among literature circles. They met frequently to compose poems and
talk about literature evolutions. There Solomos took a big decision: to write
his poems in Greek, not Italian.
However, he didn't want to write in the purist language, highly influenced by
Ancient Greek. He wanted to write in the language and idiom of the common
people of Zakynthos. He began to systematically study traditional songs and
Cretan literature that were the best representations of the demotic dialect of
Modern Greek literature.
The Greek Revolution of 1821 and the “Exodus of Mesolongi” were great
inspirations for Solomos to write one of his best poems, the Hymn to Liberty.
This poem was the flag bearer of the entire literary output of Solomos and
established him as a mastery of his native idiom.
Solomos was inspired from Italic Classicism, European Romantics, German
Idealism, traditional Greek songs, Cretan literature (especially from
Erotokritos, Vintsentzos Kornaros), Christian literature and ancient Greek
literature (especially from Homer and Plato). Moreover, Enlightment and
Eptanisian School played a substantial role to his personality as his liberal
ideas were enhanced and these characteristics are shown to his poems. He
was pioneer of his era.
Some notable poems are “Τhe Cretan”, “The Free Besieged” and others. A
characteristic of his work is that no poem except the “Hymn to Liberty” was
completed, and almost nothing was published during his lifetime.
2. Solomos in “The Cretan”, as in other poems, uses symbolic figures. The main
figure in “The Cretan” is the “ Fengarontymeni”or “Moonlit” who is a divine
figure that symbolizes the beauty of life and nature, the platonic idea, one
goddess, the idea of freedom and Greece
A financial dispute with his relatives forced Solomos to move to Corfu, where
he found an atmosphere congenial to his poetic and lonesome nature. He died
of stroke in February 1857. His body was transferred to Zakynthos, his
beloved island, in 1865.
Ηe follows the characteristics of romanticism:
Romantic
Characteristic
Description of Characteristic
Interest in the
common man and
childhood
Romantics believed in the natural goodness
of
humans which is hindered by the urban life
of
civilization.They believed that thesavage is
noble,
childhood is good and the emotions inspired
by
both beliefs causes the heart to soar.
Strong senses,
emotions, and
feelings
Romantics believed that knowledge is gained
through intuition rather than deduction.This
is
best summed up by Wordsworth whostated
that
“all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow
of
powerful feelings.”
Awe of nature
Romantics stressed theawe of naturein art
and
language and theexperience of sublimity
through
a connection with nature.Romantics rejected
the
rationalization of natureby the previous
thinkers
of the Enlightenment period.
Celebration of the
individual
Romantics often elevated the achievements of
the
misunderstood,heroic individual outcast.
3. Museum of Dionysios Solomos in Corfu
Museum of Dionysios Solomos in Corfu
Importance of
imagination
Romantics legitimized theindividual
imagination as
a critical authority
