MANOLIS ALIGIZAKIS

Manolis

Manolis (Emmanuel Aligizakis) is a Greek-Canadian poet and author. He’s 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 for collectors of such rare books 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 labourer, 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, Turkish, Serbian, Russian 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.

AWARDS

  • Distinguished Poet and Writer Award, City of Richmond, BC, 2014
  • 1st Poetry Prize, International Arts Academy for this translation of “Yannis Ritsos- Selected Poems”, 2014
  • Winner of the Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial Award, Writers International Network Canada, 2014
  • “George Seferis-Collected Poems” translated by Manolis, shortlisted for the Greek National Literary Awards, translation category.
  • 1st Poetry Prize, International Arts Academy, for his translation of “George Seferis-Collected Poems”, 2013
  • Master of the Arts in Literature, International Arts Academy, 2013
  • 1st Prize for poetry, 7th Volos poetry Competition, 2012
  • Honorary instructor and fellow, International Arts Academy, 2012
  • 2nd Prize for short story, Interartia festival, 2012
  • 2nd Prize for Poetry, Interartia Festival, 2012
  • 2nd Prize for poetry, Interartia Festival, 2011
  • 3rd Prize for short stories, Interartia Festival, 2011

BOOKS by MANOLIS

  • THE SECOND ADVENT OF ZEUS, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2016
  • CHTHONIAN BODIES, paintings by Ken Kirkby and poems by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015
  • IMAGES OF ABSENCE, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2015
  • AUTUMN LEAVES, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2014
  • ÜBERMENSCH/ΥΠΕΡΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2013
  • MYTHOGRAPHY, paintings and poems, 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, paintings and poems, 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, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005

TRANSLATIONS by MANOLIS

  • HOURS OF THE STARS, poetry by Dimitris Liantinis, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015
  • HEAR ME OUT, short stories, by Tzoutzi Mantzourani, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015
  • CARESSING MYTHS, poetry by Dina Georgantopoulos, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros libertad, 2015
  • IDOLATERS, a novel by Joanna Frangia, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2014
  • TASOS LIVADITIS-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2014
  • YANNIS RITSOS-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions, 2013
  • CLOE AND ALEXANDRA-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2013
  • GEORGE SEFERIS-COLLECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2012
  • YANNIS RITSOS-POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2010
  • CONSTANTINE P CAVAFY-POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2008
  • CAVAFY-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions, 2011

BOOKS in OTHER LANGUAGES

  • NABORI SEĆANJA, (Serbian) poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into Serbian by Jolanka Kovacs, Zrenjanin, Serbia, 2016
  • FRUNZE DE TOAMNA, Poetry by Manolis, translated by Lucia Gorea, AB-ART, Romania, 2016
  • MEMORIES, (Greek), poetry, Fildisi Edigions, Athens, Greece, 2016
  • SONGS OF THE ABSURD, (Greek), poetry, ENEKEN, Salonika, Greece, 2015
  • IMAGES OF ABSENCE, (Greek) poetry, Sexpirikon, Salonika, Greece, 2015
  • OSZI FALEVELEK, (Hungarian), poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into Hungarian by Karoly Csiby, Gyp, Hungary, 2015
  • SVEST, (Serbian), poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into Serbian by Jolanka Kovacs, Serbia, 2015
  • ESZMELET, (Hungarian), poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into Hungarian by Karoly Csiby, AB-ART, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2014
  • HIERODOULES, (Greek), poetry, Sexpirikon, Salonika, Greece, 2014
  • YPERANTHROPOS, (Greek), poetry, ENEKEN, Salonika, Greece, 2014
  • ÜBERMENSCH (German), poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into German by Eniko Thiele Csekei, WINDROSE, Austria, 2014
  • NOSTOS SI ALGOS, (Romanian) poetry by Manolis Aligizakis, translated into Romanian by Lucia Gorea, DELLART, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 2013
  • TOLMIRES ANATASEIS, (Greek) poetry, GAVRIILIDIS EDITIONS, Athens, Greece, 2013
  • FYLLOROES, (Greek) poetry, ENEKEN PUBLICATIONS, Salonika, Greece, 2013
  • EARINI ISIMERIA, (Greek) poetry, ENEKEN PUBLICATIONS, Salonika, Greece, 2011
  • STRATIS ROUKOUNAS, (Greek) novel, MAVRIDIS EDITIONS, Athens, Greece, 1981

LONGHAND BOOKS

  • EROTOKRITOS, by Vitsentzos Kornaros, (rare book-collectible), transcribed by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015

 
Please visit Manolis Aligizakis’ website: manolisaligizakis.com

 

manolis-secondadvent

The poetry below from Manolis Aligizakis’ book “The Second Advent of Zeus”
published by Ekstasis Editions 2016

ISBN 978-1-77171-176-0
Poetry
156 pages
6 x 9

 
ZEUS

And Zeus had promised my return

to face again the loathly
teeth of the abyss
at the ecliptic hour
of a hot July day as the cicadas’
cantos awake the high noon
with lullabies
when olive tree leaves sieve
sunlight and the loaf
allotted to me
was kneed without yeast
swirls of anger and pictures of people
familiar and bearded old beasts of

my kin
softly sprang up
as if
from the earth’s bottom
to release me
from the commitment
of eternal return

caique sails plastered on the horizon
ambience and nostalgia when
I felt my primeval
fear repeated
nothing but a warning of
my true passing through
the narrow Symplegades

 
APOLLO

And I grew under Apollo’s sun

minutes of expressiveness
alone in darkness and
before I opened my eyes
I was accompanied
by the law of failure
born blind and
accused of heresy
a revolution in its making
even before I could utter
a groan or a begging cry

I gathered all my strength
to pick a date with death
hours before I appeared
in my mother’s arms
newborn festivity
error permitted
two legs just to walk
a heart as if
to feel emotion and
other human traces
of grandeur

 
COMMAND

It was my first day at the seashore
Hellenic fragrance among the seaweed
where I grabbed laurel branches
and narciscous double colored poplar leaves

meant to dress my nakedness before
the serpent was to come

I, the primeval martyr
stood under the light and
named my cosmos
as I perceived it : virginal and
in my cradle a baby rattle
to shake and to move from right
to left between two extremes where
the meaning of my life was wedged and

I felt one command
from my baby rattle with its noise
as paradisiacal as I had ever
dreamed: stand up, my boy, and create

 
WHITE THOUGHTS

Apollo’s temple at Delphi shivered and

fallen leaves that always reminded me
of autumn tree rustle wishes turned
soldiers who came back from the front lines
laying on the ground like injured bullets

gravestones made of marble, abundant
whiteness like my thoughts, palindromic
mind between the sea’s punishment and
the chapel’s death where for the first time

I met people kneeling before the thousands
of years in exile steel against steel
war after another war hunger at noon and
hunger during the night as long as

their coffers were kept always full
there I met for the first time my hatred
deep savage illusion that wrote with
red letters on the wall of revenge

words such as: kill, destroy, decapitate
and I was raised in a Christian home

having the luxury of Christian sanity

 
For other contributions by Manolis Aligizakis, please follow the links below:

 
Poetry in this post: © Manolis Aligizakis
Published with the permission of Manolis Aligizakis