Vasilis Rotas

Vasilis Rotas (1889-1977). Vasilis Rotas was born in Chiliomodi, in the region of Corinthia. He studied philology at the University of Athens and theater at the Drama School of the Athens Conservatory. In 1910, he co-founded the Student Society. He served as a Reserve Officer in the Balkan Wars and was interned in the camps of Görlitz and Werl during World War I. He also fought in the Asia Minor Campaign and served as a military attaché at the Greek embassy in Berlin from 1921 to 1922. He retired in 1927 with the rank of colonel and subsequently dedicated himself to literature and theater. He was a key contributor to Kostis Bastias' magazine "Hellenic Letters" and founded the People's Theater of Athens (1930-1937), which was shut down by the Metaxas dictatorship. During the German occupation, he organized the Theater Workshop (where notable figures such as Markos Avgeris, Sofia Mavroeidi-Papadaki, and Manos Katrakis taught) and the Mountain Theater (1944, in collaboration with members of EPON). He passed away in Athens. Rotas made his literary debut in 1908 in the pages of "Noumas," and published articles, chronicles, theater critiques, and testimonies in the underground press, as well as in "Artistic News," "Free News," "Modern Greek Letters," "Vradyni," "Proia," "Estia," and post-war (1961-1965) in the magazine "Theater" by K. Nitsos and in "Laikos Logos" (1965-1967). He also published poems, short stories, and plays. In the history of modern Greek theater, he is noted for his significant translation work of the complete works of William Shakespeare, and his translation of Aristophanes' comedy "The Birds" for the 1961 performance by the Art Theater of Karolos Koun is considered historic. Throughout his original and translated works, Rotas' unique demotic style, inspired by folk songs, his popular romantic worldview, and influences from the folk theater of Karagiozis, Shakespearean dramaturgy, and ancient Greek drama, are prominent. For more biographical details on Vasilis Rotas, see Ziras Alex. - Georgousopoulos Kostas, "Rotas Vasilis," World Biographical Dictionary 9a. Athens, Ekdotiki Athinon, 1988, and Vasilis Rotas (1889-1977); Preface-Introduction: Voula Damianakou - Content Editing: Eleni Vasilopoulou. Athens, 1979. (Source: Archive of Greek Writers, EKEBI).