The Ball

In the series ‘If I Read Poets of the 1930s Generation’, Alexis Kyritsopoulos draws inspiration from the verses of the great poets of the 1930s generation and writes fairy tales set against the backdrop of his unique imagery. “When, whilst reading Nikos Engonopoulos’s poems, I came to ‘On Heights’, it was as if Engonopoulos himself had leapt out before me. Are his poems not Easter bells? Night-time, dazzling meteors in the Attic sky? Is not his writing hand resplendent in the sun, and luminous with sparkling fireworks at night? When he speaks, do not terrible earthquakes ravage all? Do not volcanoes erupt in Peru and spew their fury into the heavens? Is Nikos Engonopoulos not the son of General Bolívar? In the shadows, in the darkest alleys of the market, behind the mask of the Italian pyrotechnician – kou-kou, we have met you, kind Mr Engonopoulos!” A.K. With this in mind, Alexis Kyritsopoulos writes the story of a poet who wanted to send stars into the sky. Fireworks! Lightning, shooting stars and moon shards are the materials he chooses to adorn the sky with fireworks and sparkling poems. The book has won the following awards: -Award for the illustrator and author of a book with colourful illustrations, from the Greek Section of the International Board on Books for Young People (Greek IBBY) – Children’s Book Circle (2013) -Anagnostis magazine’s award for an illustrated children’s book (2013) -The State Award for an illustrated children’s book (2013).

In the series ‘If I Read Poets of the 1930s Generation’, Alexis Kyritsopoulos draws inspiration from the verses of the great poets of the 1930s generation and writes fairy tales set against the backdrop of his unique illustrations. “The heavy winter, the black clouds, spring – all jostle to fit into the torrent of Yannis Ritsos’s poems. I asked for spring. Yet clouds lurk that have not quenched their thirst and that the songs cannot dispel....So let us join the poet in hoping that the girl who loves butterflies will reconcile them all. With so many butterflies gathered together, will spring not come?’ A.K. With this in mind, Alexis Kyritsopoulos writes a fairy tale about the adventures of Rosa, a little girl who chased a butterfly in the storm.

In the series “If I Read Poets of the ’30s Generation”, Alexis Kyritsopoulos draws inspiration from the verses of the great poets of the ’30s generation and writes fairy tales set against the backdrop of his unique imagery. "Like a caique passing through the high waves whilst the liner is tossed about by the sea – I moved amongst the poems and drew the line of optimism that I believe exists. I believe I have not betrayed the poetry of George Seferis – with this manoeuvre amongst its verses – my intention is to send you to the poems so that you may find there all their depth and gravity. I did not select the poems. Someone else would have chosen more aptly. I painted the images that shone between the poems and found my own – their own – path into the light." A.K. The book has been included in the White Ravens list

This book is the fourth in the series: “If I read… poets of the ’30s generation”. Alexis Kyritsopoulos draws inspiration from the verses of the great poets of the 1930s generation and writes fairy tales set against the backdrop of his unique illustrations. Reading the poems of Giorgos Sarantaris, Alexis Kyritsopoulos discovered colours, lights, games, loves, celebrations, horses, suns, seas, clouds, and wrote a tender allegorical fairy tale to accompany them.

Alexis Kyritsopoulos follows Don Quixote on his marvellous journey and highlights the scenes that make up his own journey through the classic novel. Moments from the story of the dreamy Knight, Dulcinea, the windmills, the Innkeeper and other heroes come to life through the colours of Alexis Kyritsopoulos, in an edition destined to become a classic.

A distant summer, a prison island, the exiles and the strange holidays of the wife of Commander Menelaos Karatades. A family portrait that will be completed in exchange for… a ball. A true story told many years ago comes to light – and to paper – with the moving colour sensitivity and graphic clarity of Alexis Kyritsopoulos. A timeless story for young and old alike about the power of imagination and creativity. A small masterpiece on the indomitable nature of the human soul.