The great Greek poet Jeni Mastoraki, honored with the Grand Prix for Literature, has passed away at the age of 75.
He was one of the most important poetic voices in the modern Greek literary canon.
Jeni Mastoraki was born in February 1949 in Athens and studied Byzantine and Medieval Philology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
He belongs to the Generation of the 70s, a group of Greek writers and poets who began to publish their works during the 1970s, and in particular at the end of the Junta of the Colonels and in the early years of the post-colonial period. His poem first appeared in 1971. This poem was included in Dimitris Iatropoulos’s “Anti-anthology”. His first book, entitled “Tolls”, was published in 1972.
His poetic works attracted the interest of Yannis Ritsos and Nana Kallianesi, while his poems have been translated into several languages and published in anthologies and magazines around the world.
At the same time, her translation work was equally important. She translated literature and plays, while her name was associated with the Greek translation of T.D. Salinger’s legendary “Keeper in the Rye.”
In 1989, she received the Thornton Niven Wilder Award from Columbia University for her translation work. Additionally, in 1992, she received the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) award for her translation of the children’s book “The Dawn Traveller.”
Message of condolences from Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni
Informed of the loss of Jenis Mastorakis, Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni made the following statement:
The loss of Jenis Mastorakis deprives us of one of the greatest figures of our modern Letters. A representative of the Generation of 70, he leaves us a poetic work that crossed borders and was published in many foreign languages. It stands out for its entirely personal stamp, highlighting the inseparable relationship between writing and reading, as well as the author’s long-term experiential engagement with language, history and literature.
Jenny Mastoraki was an excellent translator. She was confronted with classic and modern texts from world literature, from prose to poetry and theater, as well as emblematic essays, in different languages. She offered us translations that are references, both for the works themselves and for the redefinition of the translation genre. Jenis Mastorakis’s corpus of translations, which she compiled over decades, with dedication, persistent and careful work, stands out for its linguistic precision and its distinctive aesthetic mark.
Throughout his long career, he emerged as a unique example of Greek Literature, which he honoured with his uninterrupted and uncompromising quality. In his work, he combined an uncompromising concern for language with the creative reconstruction of the past, the mapping of memory and the silent but expressive assimilation of experience.
Jeni Mastoraki, a rare person, a rare creator, with exemplary dedication to Art, has never sought unnecessary and meaningless publicity. However, she has managed to enjoy the recognition of her work, as proven by her numerous awards, most notably the award of the Grand Prix of Letters 2020.
To his family and friends, my most sincere condolences.