by Manolis Aligizakis (Author)
Greek mythology is a great treasure Manolis has inherited. Vast and fascinating, like India's, mythology has birthed some of the greatest epics and plays of world literature and continues to influence new art and writing. It is often credited with shaping Western culture. In poems selected from his book Second Advent of Zeus, Manolis acknowledges his debt to the mythology by attributing verses to great mythical characters like Zeus, Athena, Hera, Psyche, Eros, Apollo, Aphrodite and others. However, he doesn't recreate the myths in a modern context or use them directly in the poems. He looks up to them for inspiration as his poems show:
"And I showed Zeus my first verse"
"Athena smiled at me when I observed
that everything fitted in its position
nothing jutted out of place"
Ajmer Rode, poet, essayist, translator