Vasilis Michaelides

Vasilis Michaelides (; 1849 – 18 December 1917) was a Greek Cypriot poet who is considered by many to be the national poet of Cyprus.

Early life

Michaelides was born in Lefkoniko 1849. In 1862, he moved to Nicosia to attend school. His first contact with the arts came in the form of religious icons in the archbishopric in Nicosia, where he trained as an artist.

Career

Michaelides moved to the Diocese of Larnaca, where he concentrated on painting in the care of his uncle. In 1873, he published his first poems ''Usury'' () and ''Nightingales and Owls'' (). In 1875, he moved to Naples for further studies in painting. He left Italy in 1877 and went to Greece, where he enlisted as a volunteer in the Greek Army and fought for the liberation of Thessaly during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. With the end of Ottoman rule of Cyprus in 1878, he returned to the island and settled in Limassol, staying at the local premises of the Diocese of Larnaca. There he began to write for the local newspaper ''Alithia'' (; ''Truth'').

Michaelides wrote several poems in Greek dialects such as Cypriot, Dhimotiki, and Katharevousa. His first poetry collection, ''The Weak Lyre'' (), was published in 1882. In 1884, he was appointed to work as a nurse, which secured him an income, food, and a place to live. He then began to write for the newspaper ''Salpinga'' ( ''Clarion''). In 1888, he began the publication of the satirical magazine ''Diavolos'' ( ''Devil'').

In 1883, Michaelides wrote ''The Fairy'' (), followed by his most famous work ''The 9th of July 1821'' (), a poem in the Cypriot dialect detailing the events leading to the execution of the Greek Cypriot leadership, including Archbishop Kyprianos, by the Ottoman rulers of the time:

:
:::— From ''Ἑννάτη Ἰουλίου, Βασίλης Μιχαηλίδη''

Michaelides' poetry helped establish the Cypriot dialect as a linguistic medium for written poetry. ''The 9th of July'' was followed by ''The Woman From Chios'' ().

Final poems and death

The latter part of Michaelides' life was plagued by his struggles with alcoholism. In 1910, he lost his job as a nurse, but the Limassol Municipality gave him a new job as a health inspector and a room to stay in at the town hall. In 1911, he published ''Poems'' (). By 1915, he had ended up at the Limassol poorhouse, where he wrote ''The Dream of the Greek'' (). He died a penniless alcoholic on 18 December 1917.

Legacy

Michaelides is considered by many to be the national poet of Cyprus. In 1978, his portrait was depicted on one of a series of stamps themed on Cypriot poets. There are also a number of streets in Cyprus named after him, as is the 10th Primary School of Limassol. There is a bust of him in Strovolos and another bust of him in Limassol outside the Library of the Cyprus University of Technology, which is also named after him.

References

External links

Full text of "The 9th of July 1821" in Cypriot dialect and English translation

Cyprus Stamp Issue: Cypriot Poets: Demetrios Lipertis and Vasilis Michaelides
* Documentary titled
Βασίλης Μιχαηλίδης, ο Άνθρωπος και το Έργο του
produced in 1980 by CyBC.

Year of birth unknown
19th-century births
1917 deaths
People from Famagusta District
People from the Ottoman Empire
Greek Cypriot poets

{{Cyprus-poet-stub
19th-century Cypriot people
20th-century Cypriot people