“Our Town” presents the theme “The Sea in the works of Odysseas Elytis through language as a vehicle.”, exploring concepts and words from Odysseas Elytis’ major works while tracing their roots from Homer’s era to Elytis’ poetic expression.
Guest in the studio, author and researcher Maria Marangou, discusses the symbolism of significant Greek philosophers who shaped the Greek language into a unique journey, establishing a solid foundation for language and thought worldwide.
The program includes an in-depth decoding of Elytis’ set-to-music poems, such as To Trelovaporo, O Kipos Ebene Sti Thalassa, Gia sou Kyrie Menexe, O Glaros, and Thalassino Trifylli. Maria Marangou elaborates on the poet’s phrase, “Only my language remained alone on Homer’s shores,” explaining how Elytis’ entire body of work symbolizes nature’s imagery, profound messages about life’s experience, and a hymn to language—one that passes through Plato, Socrates, the ever-present concept of dialectics, and the way Greece’s great composers approached the musical setting of this exceptional poet.
As Elytis himself said:
“Having loved and dwelled in the sea for centuries, I learned to read and write.”
Produced and presented by Themis Rodamitis