Kiki Dimoula

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Kiki Dimoula
Κική Δημουλά
Dimoula in 2011
Dimoula in 2011
BornVasiliki Radou
(1931-06-06)6 June 1931
Athens, Greece
Died22 February 2020(2020-02-22) (aged 88)
Athens, Greece
OccupationPoet
NationalityGreek
Period1952–2020
SpouseAthos Dimoulas (1921–1985)

Vasiliki “Kiki” Dimoula (née Radou; Greek: Κική Δημουλά; 6 June 1931[1] – 22 February 2020) was a Greek poet. She was the first female poet ever to be included in the prestigious French publisher Gallimard’s poetry series.[2]

Work[edit]

Dimoula's work[3][4] is haunted by the existential dissolution of the post-war era. Her central themes are hopelessness, insecurity, absence and oblivion. Using diverse subjects (from a "Marlboro boy" to mobile phones) and twisting grammar in unconventional ways, she accentuated the power of the words through astonishment and surprise, but always managed to retain a sense of hope.

Her poetry has been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Italian and many other languages. In 2014, the eleventh issue of Tinpahar published 'Kiki Dimoula in Translation', which featured three English translations of her better known works.[5]

Recognition[edit]

Dimoula was awarded the Greek State Prize twice (1971, 1988), as well as the Kostas and Eleni Ouranis Prize (1994) and the Αριστείο Γραμμάτων of the Academy of Athens (2001).[6] She was awarded the European Prize for Literature for 2009.[7] Since 2002, Dimoula was a member of the Academy of Athens.[8]

Life[edit]

Dimoula worked as a clerk for the Bank of Greece. She was married to the poet Athos Dimoulas (1921–1985), with whom she had two children.

Works[edit]

  • Ποιήματα (Poems), 1952
  • Έρεβος (Erebus), 1956
  • Ερήμην (In absentia), 1958
  • Επί τα ίχνη (On the trail), 1963
  • Το λίγο του κόσμου (The Little of the World),1971
  • Το Τελευταίο Σώμα μου (My last body), 1981
  • Χαίρε ποτέ (Farewell Never),1988
  • Η εφηβεία της Λήθης (Lethe's Adolescence), 1996
  • Eνός λεπτού μαζί (One Minute's Together), 1998
  • Ήχος απομακρύνσεων (Departure's Sound), 2001
  • Χλόη θερμοκηπίου (Glass-house lawn), 2005
  • Μεταφερθήκαμε παραπλεύρως (We moved next door), 2007
  • Συνάντηση (Meeting), 2007 (Anthology with seventy-three paintings by John Psychopedis)
  • Έρανος Σκεψεων, 2009
  • Τα εύρετρα, 2010
  • Δημόσιος Καιρός, 2014

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ ""Έφυγε" η Κική Δημουλά". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. ^ Nytimes.com, Rachel Donadio,Inside a Greek Poet’s Work, a Reflection of Her Country’s Hard Times
  3. ^ "European Poetry in Motion". Archived from the original on 2008-01-12. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  4. ^ "REFLECTIONS - A MEETING OF DANISH AND GREEK POETS". Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  5. ^ "Kiki Dimoula in Translation | Tinpahar". Archived from the original on 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  6. ^ "ΤΡΑΙΝΟ (Συγγραφείς - Μέλη)". Archived from the original on 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  7. ^ Kiki Dimoula to Receive European Literature Prize
  8. ^ "Academy Of Athens". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2008-03-12.

External links[edit]