Name: Odysseas Elytis
Year Won: 1979
Read: Eros, Eros, Eros
Original Language: Greek
Reason: "for his poetry, which, against the background of Greek tradition, depicts with sensuous strength and intellectual clear-sightedness modern man's struggle for freedom and creativeness"
About: "Eros, Eros, Eros" is a collection of poems which, as the name might imply, tend to focus on love. Most are set in with a sweeping Greek backdrop, in which myth and the modern day are mingled.
What I liked: I really enjoyed the sense of the mythic that was imbued within this world. There's something kind of cool about the feeling that the past is real and present everywhere, imbued in everything we do or see.
What I Disliked: There were some lengthy prose sections that felt very meh. Like, I'm here for the poetry. The poetry is what this guy is I guess known for. But, sure, let's discuss some random philosophical stuff poorly, I guess?
Should it have won a Nobel: I have no idea. It's hard enough to evaluate poetry in any language, far less one that's not your native one.
With that said, sure, why not. This isn't any worse than any of the other poets they've awarded the prize to. I don't know that it's any better, either, but...
Next Up: "Selected Poems" by Czesław Miłosz
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