Influential Greek poet Christianopoulos dies
Greek academic and literary figure Dinos Christianopoulos died Tuesday in Thessaloniki, where he had resided since his birth. He was 89.
Christianopoulos studied literature at Aristotle University, from which he graduated in 1954. He is most well known for his work as a poet beginning in 1949. In 2011 he was awarded the the Grand Prize of Literature for his contributions to the Greek literary scene.
Although he first published poetry in 1949, he worked at the Municipal Library from 1954 but quit after eight years, equating being an employee to “a curse.”
In 1958 he founded the magazine Diagonios and started a book publishing firm under the same name in 1962.
His poetry is considered highly erotic and influenced by the works of Constantine Cavafy. He once said that “the difference between us is that Cavafy is sensualistic while I write about the agony of erotic depravation.”
