Achilleas Paraschus

Achilleas Paraschus

Achilleas Paraschos ( Greek Αχιλλέας Παράσχος , eigtl. Achilleas Nasakis (Νασάκης) or Nasikoglou (Νασίκογλου); * 1838 in Nafplio ; † January 26, 1895 in Athens ) was a romantic neo-Greek poet . He is assigned to the First Athens School .

Life

Achilleas Nasakis - his stage name Paraschos was the first name of his father - was born in Nafplio , then the provisional capital of the young Kingdom of Greece. The family moved to Athens during his childhood . Obviously he never studied, but acquired his education by reading on his own. His first letters were handed down by his brother Georgios Paraschos (1821–1886), who also emerged as a poet. In his youth he joined the Chrysi Neolaea , a secret society that made propaganda against King Otto , and therefore served a prison sentence. He earned his living exclusively from his poetry; However, from time to time politicians gave him various posts, which, however, only served to ensure that he received a steady income.

He published his first poetry in the magazines Der Abderit and Chrysallis . The publication of his poems in three volumes in 1881 was very successful; he took in the then enormous sum of 50,000 drachmas, which he soon spent again, so that he had to rely on financial help from friends. He traveled to Romania, Egypt, France and Great Britain, where he was enthusiastically received by the Greek population.

Paraschos died in 1895 and was buried in the First Athens Cemetery. The funeral service was a major event, King George I was also present.

Work shape

During his lifetime Paraschos was considered a national poet. His fame reached into the remotest Greek village, and his public appearances were always well attended. However, after his death, his strictly romantic poetry was gradually ridiculed and then finally forgotten.

In his poetry Paraschos primarily used the Katharevousa , but occasionally also the Dimotiki in the style of Aristotelis Valaoritis . His poems are metric (mostly iambic ) and rhyming (often in pair rhymes ). He himself divided his poems into patriotic (Δάφνες 'laurels'), elegiac (Ιτέας 'pastures'), educational (Χλόη 'meadows') and other poems (Φύλλα 'leaves').

Works

• Ποιήματα (poems). 3 vol., Andreas Kolomilas, Athens 1881.

literature

• Kostas Uranis: Achilleas Paraschos. I zoi tou . Glaros, Athens 1944. (Greek)
• Ekpaideutiki Elliniki Egyklopaideia : Pagosmio Viographiko Lexiko , vol. 8, Ekdotike Athenon, Athens 1991, p. 170. (encyclopedic work; Greek)

Web links

• Works by Achilleas Paraschos in the Greek Wikisource