Stratis Paschalis

Stratis Paschalis was born in 1958 in Athens and hails from Lesvos. He is part of the generation of poets who began to emerge in the late 1970s. His first book, "Anaktoria," was published in 1977, offering pure poetry during a time of intense prose and politicization. Since then, he has published eight more poetry books, among which the most mature are: "Excavation" (1984), "Cherry Trees in the Dark" (1991), "Water Flowers" (1994), the major poetic composition "Michael" (1996), "Comedy" (1998), "Looking at Forests" (2002), and his latest collection "Season of Paradise" (2008, "Diavazo" magazine poetry award 2009). In 2002, a comprehensive edition was released: "Verses of Another: Poems 1977-2002." His expression is characterized by musicality, intense metaphysical concern, mystical suggestion, as well as immediacy and an obsession with the genuine and the specific. He has translated many foreign authors and poets, mainly French, and has systematically worked on theatrical translation (Shakespeare, Racine, Corneille, Rostand, etc.). He has anthologized works by Karagatsis and Papadiamantis, and also edited the volume for the series "A City in Literature" by Metaichmio Publications, dedicated to his hometown Mytilene. In 2006, his only novel, "The Man on the Bus," was published. He has been awarded the Maria Ralli Debut Poet Prize (1977) for the collection "Anaktoria," the Ouranis Prize of the Academy of Athens (1994) for the collection "Water Flowers," twice with the Diavazo poetry award, and the State Translation Prize (1998). (photo: Kostas Ordolis)