Four episodes exploring his life, poetry, and its musical settings
Voice of Greece, ERT’s global radio service, and “Sound Portraits” present a four-part tribute to Yannis Ritsos, one of the leading figures of modern Greek poetry, whose work reflects both the great historical upheavals of the 20th century and the deepest concerns of human existence.
On Tuesday, 3 November, at 22:00 Athens time, Stavroula Karali, with sound editing by Maria Fotakopoulou, takes listeners to Monemvasia, exploring the poet’s difficult childhood, family losses, and battle with tuberculosis. The first program traces his life up to Thessaloniki in 1936 and the writing of “Epitaphios,” one of his most iconic works.
The second program, on Tuesday, 10 November, at 22:00 Athens time, explores the years of the Nazi occupation and the Resistance, his persecution, and his exile on Lemnos, Makronisos, and Agios Efstratios. Through “Romiosini,” “The Lady of the Vineyards,” and “The Smoked Pot,” it examines the connection between his poetry and the struggle for human dignity and freedom.
The third part airs on Tuesday, 17 November, the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. It follows the poet’s journey from “Moonlight Sonata” and international recognition to the military dictatorship, further periods of exile, and the events of November 1973.
The series concludes on Tuesday, 24 November, with the years following the restoration of democracy and Yannis Ritsos’s poetic legacy, exploring the many facets of a body of work that continues to speak to the human experience, history, and everyday life.
Across the four programs, narration is interwoven with settings of his poetry by leading Greek composers, including Mikis Theodorakis, Christos Leontis, Nikos Mamangakis, Dimos Moutsis, Marios Tokas, and Thanos Mikroutsikos.
Chrysa Prokopaki’s chronicle of the poet’s life and work served as an invaluable guide for the tribute, alongside personal accounts, studies, and writings that shed light on his life and poetry.
Presentation and editorial production: Stavroula Karali
Sound editing: Maria Fotakopoulou
