Aris Diktaios

Aris Diktaeos (1919-1983). Aris Diktaeos, whose real name was Kostas Konstantoulakis, was born in Heraklion, Crete. In 1938, he enrolled in the Law School of the University of Athens, where he studied until 1940, when he was drafted into the military. During the German occupation, he lived in Crete. He moved to Athens in 1945 and worked in journalism for the press and radio, collaborating with the National Radio Foundation from 1946 to 1951. While still a high school student, he published poems in the magazine Nea Grammata, and in 1935, he released his first poetry collection titled Twelve Nightmarish Vignettes. This was preceded by the disowned poetry collection In the Waves of Life (1934). He contributed to magazines such as Neoellinika Grammata, Neoi Rythmi, Philologika Chronika, Nea Estia, Nea Poreia, among others. His essay and translation work is particularly extensive, and he also published poetry and literary anthologies. He was awarded the First State Prize for Poetry in 1956, jointly with Yiannis Ritsos, and received the First Degree Order of Cyril and Methodius from the Bulgarian government in 1977. His works have been translated into many foreign languages. Aris Diktaeos' poetry is considered part of the so-called first post-war generation of Greek literature, characterized by elements of existential angst and influences from the literary and philosophical works of Jean-Paul Sartre. For more biographical details on Aris Diktaeos, see Alex. Argyriou, "Aris Diktaeos," Greek Poetry: The First Post-War Generation, pp. 68-71. Athens, Sokolis, 1982; Manolis Gialourakis, "Diktaeos Aris," Great Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature 6. Athens, Haris Patsis, n.d.; and n.s., "Diktaeos Aris," World Biographical Dictionary 3. Athens, Ekdotiki Athinon, 1985. (Source: Archive of Greek Authors, EKEBI).