User:Manolis (Emmanuel Aligizakis)

Manolis (Emmanuel) Aligizakis

BIOGRAPHY

Manolis (Emmanuel Aligizakis) is a Greek-Canadian poet and author. He is the most prolific writer-poet of the Greek diaspora. At the age of eleven he transcribed the nearly 500 year old romantic poem Erotokritos, now released in a limited edition of 100 numbered copies and made available at 5,000 dollars Canadian: the most expensive book of its kind to this day. He was recently appointed an honorary instructor and fellow of the International Arts Academy, and awarded a Master’s for the Arts in Literature. He is recognized for his ability to convey images and thoughts in a rich and evocative way that tugs at something deep within the reader. Born in the village of Kolibari on the island of Crete in 1947, he moved with his family at a young age to Thessaloniki and then to Athens, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences from the Panteion University of Athens. After graduation, he served in the armed forces for two years and emigrated to Vancouver in 1973, where he worked as an iron worker, train laborer, taxi driver, and stock broker, and studied English Literature at Simon Fraser University. He has written three novels and numerous collections of poetry, which are steadily being released as published works. His articles, poems and short stories in both Greek and English have appeared in various magazines and newspapers in Canada, United States, Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Australia, Jordan, Serbia and Greece. His poetry has been translated into Spanish, Romanian, Swedish, German, Hungarian, Arabic, Serbian, Russian, Punjabi languages and has been published in book form or in magazines in various countries. He now lives in White Rock, where he spends his time writing, gardening, traveling, and heading Libros Libertad, an unorthodox and independent publishing company which he founded in 2006 with the mission of publishing literary books. His translation book “George Seferis-Collected Poems” was shortlisted for the Greek National Literary Awards the highest literary recognition of Greece.

Longhand Books

Longhand lives — for $5,000 per copy Poet and publisher Manolis Aligizakis has announced his most extraordinary book--a facsimile of his own handwritten version of Erotokritos, a romantic-epic poem composed by Vitzentzos Kornaros of Crete, a contemporary of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. January 08th, 2015

Manolis Aligizakis visiting the tomb of Zorba the Greek novelist Nikos Kazantzakis in Crete. This work is being touted as, “The only longhand book of its kind–a long poem 500 years old–transcribed by an 11-year-old boy.” ________________________________________ The text consists of 10,012 fifteen-syllable rhyming verses by Kornaros (March 29, 1553 – 1613/1614) that Manolis hand-copied in 1958 at the age of eleven. Erotokritos by Vitzentzos Kornaros and Erophile (Eρωϕίλη) by Georgios Hortatzis, written around the same period, constitute the Renaissance of Greek literature. They are also considered the most important works of Cretan literature–“the backbone of Cretan literature,” according to Manolis–and are the poems upon which future poets relied, referred to and drew images from. Announced on Manolis’ website for Libros Libertad press in January of 2015, this unusual publishing venture will constitute a limited print run of 100 copies, each to be autographed and dedicated by Manolis, for $5,000 per copy.

The original handwritten version of the text was created in the summer of 1958 after his family moved from the suburb of Peristeri in Athens to Hagios Fanourios where his father managed to build their first family home in the north part of the suburb Ilion.

“During that summer my father brought home a copy of the most famous poem Erotokritos. I don’t remember where my father found the book, yet I remember he said I could read it and then he would return it to its owner. Knowing the difficult financial situation of those days and knowing it was almost impossible for us to buy such a book, I read it and day after day, page after page, I copied it…. I used two different colors of pen Bic, for those of us who remember those days.” Almost sixty years later Manolis is publishing his hand-written version of the romantic-epic poem as a handwritten book. Only the final twelve verses of the 10,012 verses of fifteen syllables each in the Cretan dialect refer to the poet Vitzentzos Kornaros. According to Manolis, the central theme is the love between Erotokritos (referred to as Rotokritos or Rokritos) and Aretousa (referred to as Arete). Around this theme, revolve other themes such as honour, friendship, bravery and courage. — Born in the village of Kolibari on the island of Crete in 1947, Manolis Aligizakis moved with his family at a young age to Thessaloniki and then to Athens, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences from the Panteion University of Athens. After graduating from the Panteion Supreme School of Athens, he served in the armed forces for two years and immigrated to Vancouver in 1973, after which he worked in several different jobs over the years. He attended Simon Fraser University for a year taking English Literature in a non-degree program. After working as an iron worker, train laborer, taxi driver, and stock broker, he now lives in White Rock. Towards the end of 2006 he founded Libros Libertad, an independent publishing company in Surrey, B.C. with the goal of publishing literary books most other companies reject, thus giving voice to people who are not listened to by conventional publishers.

~Alan Twigg, BC BookWorld, Jan, 2015

Yannis Ritsos - Poems

A careful hand is needed to translate the poems of Yannis Ritsos, and Manolis is the ideal poet to undertake such an enormous task. Born in Crete, Manolis’s youth was intermingled with the poetry of Ritsos. Once a young man moved by the Theodorakis version of Epitaphios, he’s now a successful poet in his own right who is still moved to tears hearing the refrains of those notes from half a century ago. His Greek heritage, with its knowledge of the terrain, people, history and cultural themes, makes his translation all the more true to what Ritsos intended. Having visited the very places of which Ritsos wrote, he knows how the light and sea shift, and how Ritsos imagined those changes as being a temperament and personality of the Greece itself. The parallels in their lives are uncanny: when Ritsos was imprisoned, Manolis’ father also was imprisoned on false charges. Both men dealt with the forces of dictators and censorship, and experienced the cruel and unreasoning forces of those times. In fact, they even lived for a time in the same neighborhood. In his foreword to Poems, Manolis relates that he viewed him as a comrade, one whose “work resonated with our intense passion for our motherland and also in our veracity and strong-willed quest to find justice for all Greeks.” In Poems, Manolis chose to honor Ritsos first by not just picking and choosing a few titles to translate, although that might have been far easier. Instead, he undertook the complex task of translating fifteen entire books of Ritsos work-an endeavor that took years of meticulous research and patience. It should be noted that along with the translation, edited by Apryl Leaf, that he also includes a significant Introduction that gives a reader unfamiliar with Ritsos an excellent background on the poet from his own perspective. Dated according to when Ritsos composed them, it’s fascinating to see how some days were especially productive for him. These small details are helpful in understanding the context and meaning. For example, in Notes on the Margins of Time, written from 1938-1941, Ritsos explores the forces of war that are trickling into even the smallest villages. Without direct commentary, he alludes to trains, blood, and the sea that takes soldiers away, seldom to return. Playing an active role in these violent times, the moon observes all, and even appears as a thief ready to steal life from whom it is still new. From “In the Barracks”:

The moon entered the barracks It rummaged in the soldiers’ blankets Touched an undressed arm Sleep Someone talks in his sleep Someone snores A shadow gesture on the long wall The last trolley bus went by Quietness

Can all these be dead tomorrow? Can they be dead from right now?

A soldier wakes up He looks around with glassy eyes A thread of blood hangs from the moon’s lips

In Romiosini, the postwar years are a focus (1945-1947), and they have not been kind. The seven parts to this piece each reflect a soldier’s journey home.

These trees don’t take comfort in less sky These rocks don’t take comfort under foreigners’ Footsteps These faces don’t’ take comfort but only In the sun These hearts don’t take comfort except in justice.

The return to his country is marked by bullet-ridden walls, burnt-out homes, decay, and the predominantly female populace, one that still hears the bombs falling and the screams of the dead as they dully gaze about, looking for fathers, husbands, and sons. The traveler’s journey is marked by introspection and grim memories reflected on to the surfaces of places and things he thought he knew.

And now is the time when the moon kisses him sorrowfully Close to his ear The seaweed the flowerpot the stool and the stone ladder Say good evening to him And the mountains the seas and cities and the sky Say good evening to him And then finally shaking the ash off his cigarette Over the iron railing He may cry because of his assurance He may cry because of the assurance of the trees and The stars and his brothers

An entirely different feeling is found in Parentheses, composed 1946-1947. In it, healing is observed and a generosity of spirit exerts itself among those whose hearts had been previously crushed. In “Understanding”:

A woman said good morning to someone – so simple and natural Good morning… Neither division nor subtraction To be able to look outside Yourself-warmth and serenity Not to be ‘just yourself’ but ‘you too’ A small addition A small act of practical arithmetic easily understood…

On the surface, it may appear simple, a return to familiarity that may have been difficulty in times of war. Yet on another level, he appears to be referring to the unity among the Greek people-the ‘practical arithmetic’ that kept them united though their political state was volatile. Essentially timeless, his counsel goes far beyond nationalism.

Moonlight Sonata, written in 1956, is an impossibly romantic and poignant lyric poem that feels more like a short story. In it, a middle-aged woman talks to a young man in her rustic home. As he prepares to leave, she asks to walk with him a bit in the moonlight. “The moon is good –it doesn’t show my gray hair. The moon will turn my hair gold again. You won’t see the difference. Let me come with you”

Her refrain is repeated over and over as they walk, with him silent and her practically begging him to take her away from the house and its memories:

I know that everyone marches to love alone Alone to glory and to death I know it I tried it It’s of no use Let me come with you

The poem reveals her memories as well as his awkward silence, yet at the end of their journey, she doesn’t leave. Ritsos leaves the ending open: was it a dream? If not, why did she not go? What hold did the house have over her? Was it just the moonlight or a song on the radio that emboldened her?

In 1971, Ritsos wrote The Caretaker’s Desk in Athens, where he was under surveillance but essentially free. At this time he seems to be translating himself-that of how he was processing his own personal history. Already acclaimed for his work, perhaps he was uncertain of his own identity.

From “The Unknown”,

He knew what his successive disguises stood for (even with them often out of time and always vague) A fencer a herald a priest a ropewalker A hero a victim a dead Iphigenia He didn’t know The one he disguised himself as His colorful costumes Pile on the floor covering the hole of the floor And on top of the pile the carved golden mask And in the cavity of the mask the unfired pistol

If he is indeed discussing his identity, it’s with incredible honesty as to both his public persona and his private character. After all, he’d been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968 (and eight more times) and he was likely weighing, in his later years, all that he’d endured.

The beauty of this particular translation is that, while subjects and emotions change over time, they still feel united by the underlying character of Ritsos. Some translators leave their own imprint or influence, yet this feels free of such adjustment. It’s as if Ritsos’ voice itself has been translated, with the pauses, humor, and pace that identify the subtle characteristics of an individual.

Awards and distinctions

• 1st Prize, International Arts Academy, for his translation of "Yannis Ritsos-Selected Poems", 2014
• Winner of the Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial Award, Writers International Network Canada, 2014
• 1st Prize International Arts Academy, for his translation of "George Seferis-Collected Poems", 2013
• 2nd Prize for poetry, Interartia Festival, 2012
• 2nd prize for short stories, interartia Festival, 2012
• 1st Prize for poetry, 7th Volos poetry Competition, 2012
• Honorary Master of the Arts in Literature, International Arts Academy, 2013
• Honorary Bachelor of Arts in Literature, International Arts Academy, 2012
• Honorary instructor and fellow, International Arts Academy, 2012
• 2nd Prize for poetry, Interartia Festival, 2011
• 3rd prize for short stories, Interartia Festival, 2011

Books by Manolis

• Images of Absence, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2015
• Autumn Leaves, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2014
• Übermensch, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2013
• Mythography, paintings and poetry, Libros Libertad, 2012
• Nostos and Algos, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2012
• Vortex, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2011
• The Circle, novel, Libros Libertad, 2011
• Vernal Equinox, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2011
• Opera Bufa, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2010
• Vespers, poetry by Manolis paintings by Ken Kirkby, Libros Libertad, 2010
• Triptych, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2010
• Nuances, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2009
• Rendition, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2009
• Impulses, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2009
• Troglodytes, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2008
• Petros Spathis, novel, Libros Libertad, 2008
• El Greco, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2007
• Path of Thorns, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2006
• Footprints in Sandstone, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2006
• The Orphans - an Anthology, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005

Translations by Manolis and books by Manolis in other languages

• Hear me Out, short stories by Tzoutzi Mantzourani, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015
• Oszi Falevelek, poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into Hungarian by Karoly Csiby, AB-ART, Hungary, 2015
• Caressing Myths, poetry by Dina Georgantopoulos, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015
• Svest, poetry by Manolis, trabnslated into Serbian by Jolanka Kovacs, Sziveri Publishers, 2015
• Idolaters, a novel by Joanna Frangia, translated by Manolis, Libros Libertad, 2014
• Tasos Livaditis-Selected Poems, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Libros Libertad, 2014
• ESZMELET, poetry by Manolis, translated into Hungarian by Karoly Csiby, AB-ART, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2014
• Ubermensch, poetry by Manolis, translated into German by Eniko Thiele Csekei, WINDROSE, Austria 2014
• Nostos si Algos, Poetry by Manolis, translated into Romanian by Lucia Gorea, DELLART, Romania 2013
• Cloe and Alexanrda, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Libros Libertad, Canada, 2013
• Yannis Ritsos-Selected Poems, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Ekstasis Editions, Canada, 2013
• George Seferis-Collected Poems, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Libros Libertad, Canada, 2012
• Cavafy-Selected Poems, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Ekstasis Editions, Canada, 2011
• Yannis Ritsos-Poems, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Libros Libertad, Canada, 2010
• Constantine P. Cavafy - Poems, Greek poetry translated by Manolis, Libros Libertad, Canada, 2008

Books in Greek

• Εικόνες Απουσίας, Σαιξπηρικόν, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2015
• Άσματα του Παραλόγου, ΕΝΕΚΕΝ, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2015
• Ιερόδουλες, Σαιξπηρικόν, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2014
• Υπεράνθρωπος, ΕΝΕΚΕΝ, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2014
• Τολμηρές Ανατάσεις, ποίηση, Γαβριηλίδης, Athens, 2013
• Φυλλορροές, ποίηση, ENEKEN, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2013
• Εαρινή Ισημερία, ποίηση, ENEKEN, Θεσσαλονίκη, Greece, 2011
• Στρατής ο Ρούκουνας, Μυθιστόρημα, Αριστείδης Μαυρίδης, Athens, Greece, 1981

Longhand Books

• Erotokritos-Ερωτόκριτος, by Vitzentzos Kornaros, transcribed by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, Vancouver, BC, 2015

Magazines-Anthologies

• Canadian Fiction Magazine, Victoria, BC
• Pacific Rim Review of Books, Victoria, BC
• Canadian Poetry Review, Victoria, BC
• Monday Poem, Leaf Press, Lantzville, BC
• The Broadkill Review, Milton, Delaware
• Ekeken, Thessaloniki, Greece
• Envolimon, Beotia, Greece
• Annual Literary Review, Athens, Greece
• Stigmes, Crete, Greece
• Apodimi Krites, Crete, Greece
• Patris, Crete, Greece
• Nyxta-Mera, Chania, Greece
• Flowers on the Wall, Thessaloniki, Greece
• Diasporic Literature Spot, Melbourne, Australia
• Black Sheep Dances, California, USA
• Diasporic Literature Magazine, Melbourne, Australia
• Spotlight on the Arts, Surrey, BC
• Mediterranean Poetry, Sweden
• Barnwood, International Poetry Magazine, Seattle, USA
• Unrorean, University of Maine, Farmington, Maine, USA
• Vakhikon, Athens, Greece
• Paremvasi, Kozani, Greece
• In Praise-In Memory-In Ink, Toronto, Canada
• Szoros Ko, Bratislava, Slovakia
• Apostaktirio, Athens, Greece
• Life and Art, Athens, Greece
• Logos and Images, Athens, Greece
• Contemporary Writers and Thinkers, Athens, Greece
• Palinodiae, Athens, Greece
• Royal City Poet’s Anthology, 2013, New Westminster, BC, Canada
• To Parathyro, Paris, France
• Ragazine C.C, New Jersey
• Artenistas, Thessaloniki Greece
• Deucalion the Thessalos, Greece.
• Literary Lectern, Athens, Greece
• Mandragoras, Athens, Greece, 2014
• Qaba Quosayan, Jordan, 2014
• Cantus Firmus, Athens-Greece, 2014
• FELDIVEK Literary Magazine, Bratislava, Slavakia, 2015
• Dialoguri Culturale, Cluj Napoca, Romania, 2015