| Abstrakt: |
This paper analyses some of the influences in Nikos Kavvadias' (1910-1975) poetry. In particular - and without suggesting that such topic in Kavvadias' poetry ends here - we will examine the influences of the French poet Charles Baudelaire and the English poet John Masefield. Kavvadias is perhaps a sui generis case in Modern Greek literature, with a very distinct writing style. Although other Greek poets also wrote about the sea and their experiences during their travelling, Kavvadias' references and descriptions of exotic ports, exotic women and corrupt elements introduce the reader into another world and dimension: the world of the sailor, where the fantasy element not only exists, but excites the reader's imagination. Although the world which Kavvadias depicts is a mixture of fantasy with reality--and maybe an exaggerated version of the sailor's life, the adventures which he describes in his poems derive from the capacity of the poetic ego as a sailor and a passionate traveller. Without suggesting that Kavvadias wrote some sort of diary-poetry or that his poetry is clearly biographical, his poems should be seen in connection with his capacity as a sailor, and possibly the different stories he read or heard during his journeys. Kavvadias was familiar with Greek poetry and tradition, nonetheless in this article we focus on influences from non-Greek poets, which together with the descriptions of his distant journeys make Kavvadias' poems what they are: exotic and fascinating narratives in verse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
