Georgios Drosinis (; 9 December 1859 – 3 January 1951) was a

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

author, poet, scholar and an editor. He is considered to be a co-founder of the New Athenian School ( Greek literary Generation of the 1880s).

Biography

Georgios Drossinis was born and raised in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, but he came from a family from Mesolonghi which had fought in the celebrated year-long siege of the city by the Ottomans during the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. In 1826, the Greeks were assisted ...

. He studied Philology in Athens and in Germany, but did not complete his studies. Drossinis was one of the co-founders (along with

Kostis Palamas Kostis Palamas (; ; – 27 February 1943) was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School (or Pala ...

and Nikos Kampas) of the ‘1880s Generation’, which renewed modern Greek literature by reacting to already decayed

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

. He contributed to the development and establishment of modern Greek language ( "Demotic") and to the turn towards Greek folk tradition. Drossinis showed great interest in educational issues and wrote school books. From 1908, he took up important positions in the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. During his service, he founded school libraries, introduced standards for school hygiene and established the National Flag Day on 26 October. He also contributed to the foundation of a Home for the Blind, the Sevastopouleios Vocational School, the Hellenic Laographic Society and the compilation of the Historical Dictionary of the Greek Language. His contribution to the implementation of Prime Minister

Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos (, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Cretan State, Cretan Greeks, Greek statesman and prominent leader of the Greek national liberation movement. As the leader of the Liberal Party (Greece), Liberal Party, Venizelos ser ...

’ educational programme during the 1910s was substantial. With

Demetrios Vikelas Demetrios Vikelas (; ; 15 February 1835 – 20 July 1908) was a Greek businessman and writer; he was the co-founder and first president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), from 1894 to 1896. After a childhood spent in Greece and Is ...

, he co-founded the Society for the Dissemination of Beneficial Books (in Greek, Σ.Ω.Β.). In addition, he was editor-in-chief and director in a number of literary and educational publications ('' Estia'' magazine, '' To Asty'', '' To Imerologion Tis Megalis Elladas'' ("Journal of Great Greece"). He worked towards the foundation of the Academy of Athens (1926) and became one of its first members. He was honoured by the Academy of Athens with the “Award for Excellence in Arts and Letters” and in 1947, he was nominated by the Greek State for the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

Poetry

Despite his intense action in education and publications, Georgios Drossinis is best known for his literary works. His first collection of poems was "Istoi Arachnis" (''Spider Webs''; 1880), a work which signalled the appearance of the New Athenian School. His poetry, which was influenced by French Parnassianism,

German literature German literature () comprises those literature, literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy ...

(

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

) and

, is inspired by the Greek way of life, especially Greek nature, and is characterised by its tranquillity, simplicity and intense and clear imagery. Drossinis’s most important works of poetry are the following: *Istoi Arachnis (''Spider Webs'', 1880) *Idyllia (''Romances'', 1884) *Gallene (''Serenity'', 1902) *Fotera Skotadia (''Bright Darknesses'', 1918) *Pyrine Romfaia (''Flaming Sword'', 1921) *To Moiroloi tis Omorfis (''The Beauty’s Lament'', 1927) *Tha Vradyasei (''It’s Going to Get Dark'', 1930) *Eipe (''She Said'', 1932) *Lambades (''Candles'', 1947)

Prose

His prose, which falls into the genre of novel of manners, is an

idyll An idyll (, ; ; occasionally spelled ''idyl'' in American English) is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus's short pastoral poems, the ''Idylls'' (Εἰδύλλια). Unlike Homer, Theocritus did not engag ...

ic representation of Greek living – especially rural settings – but it also shows its negative aspects, the poverty and lack of education of peasants. His most important works of prose are:

Novels

*Amaryllis (1886) *To Votani tis Agapis (''The Herb of Love'', 1901) *Ersie (1922) *Irene (''Peace'', 1945)

Collections of short stories

*Agrotikai Epistolai (''Peasants’ Letters'', 1882) *Diigimata kai Anamniseis (''Short Stories and Memories'', 1886) *Diigimata ton Agron kai tis Polis (''Short Stories of the Country and the City'', 1904)

Legacy

In 1940, Drossinis published his autobiography, "Skorpia Fylla tis Zois mou" (''Scattered Pages of my Life''). Many of his poems have been set to music and several of his works have been translated into other languages. His Complete Works have been published by the Society for the Dissemination of Beneficial Books (Σ.Ω.Β.). Drossinis’s house in

Kifisia Kifisia or Kifissia (also Kephisia or Cephissia; , ) is a municipality and one of the most affluent northern suburbs in the Athens#Athens Urban Area, Athens agglomeration, Attica, Greece, mainly accessed via Kifissias Avenue, running all the way f ...

(a northern suburb of Athens) has been renovated and belongs to the Municipality of Kifisia. The building has housed the Municipal Library of Kifisia since 1991 and the Drossinis Museum since 1997, where one can browse through a collection of the poet’s personal belongings and books. In 1997, the Society of Friends of the Drossinis Museum was founded, the aim of which is, amongst other things, to promote and spread Drossinis’s works, particularly in the education sector in Greece.About the Society of Friends of Drossinis Museum see: Publication of the Society of Friends of Drossinis Museum (2001). Five Authors Talk About G. Drossinis. Athens: Kameiros Εditions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drossinis, Georgios 1859 births 1951 deaths Greek male poets Writers from Athens Greek educational theorists New Athenian School 19th-century Greek poets 20th-century Greek poets 19th-century Greek male writers Members of the Academy of Athens (modern) 20th-century Greek male writers