Friedrich Hölderlin

T[akis] Papatsonis was born in Athens, the son of Konstantinos Papatsonis and Aikaterini, née Prassa. He studied at the French Institute of Athens and in 1913 published his first poems in the newspaper Akropolis. He studied Law and Political Science at the University of Athens until 1920 and, in 1927, attended courses in economics at the University of Geneva. From 1914 onwards, he worked at the Ministry of Finance for forty years, rising to the position of Secretary-General. In 1928, he spent several months on Mount Athos. In 1932, he married Evanthia Empedokle, with whom he had a daughter. He travelled extensively throughout his life, both for work and out of personal passion (notable examples include his trips to Belgrade, Constantinople, Italy, Prague, Switzerland, France, Berlin, Dresden, England, Spain, Bucharest, Bern, the Carpathians, New York, Cuba, Chicago and San Diego).

He served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Bank (1941), Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Gallery (1953–1964), Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Theatre (1955–1964), and Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Hellenic Society of Aesthetics (1963 and 1966 respectively). He was honoured with the French Legion of Honour (1920) and the first State Prize for Poetry (1963). In 1967, he became a member of the Academy of Athens. He died in Athens.

Papatsonis’s first collection of poems was published in 1934 as ‘Selection A’. This was preceded by the publication of the first Greek translation of T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” by Papatsonis in the magazine “Kyklos”, under the title “Erimotopos”. From 1935 and for five years, he contributed to the newspaper “Kathimerini”, where he published critical essays. In 1944, he published “Ursa Minor”. This was followed by “Selection B” (1962), the travelogue ‘Exercise on Athos’ (1963), the travelogue ‘Moldovalachika tou Mythou’, the studies ‘Friedrich Hölderlin, 1970–1843–1970’ and ‘National Revival: Solomos, Kalvos", and the essay collections "The Four-Fold World" (two volumes) and "Where the Garden Was". He was also involved in literary translation and contributed to the magazines Hellas, The Young People, Logos, Lyra, Mousa, Peitharchia, Protoporia, Rythmos, Nea Grammata, Nea Estia, Elefthera Grammata, Chronika Aesthetikis, and others.

Takis Papatsonis is classified by literary historians as part of the poetic generation of the 1930s, yet as a unique case that transcends any categorisation. He was one of the pioneers of free verse in modern Greek poetry. His poetic work is characterised by a variety of creatively assimilated influences and a strongly personal style within the framework of his mystical and theological reflection.