Ritsos, imprisoned by the Greek dictatorship, has repeatedly suffered from his strong revolutionary sentiments: "Haunted by death, driven at times to the edge of madness and suicide, Ritsos throughout his life has been upheld by his obstinate faith in poetry as redemption, and in the revolutionary ideal" (Friar, Modern Greek Poetry).
Initially a follower of the demotic tradition, Ritsos went through a phase of militant, doctrinaire poetry. Eventually, however, his work became free of anger and recrimination. In long poems, such as Romiosyne (1947), he writes compassionately, celebrating life in an unadorned style. He has produced dozens of volumes of poems, drama, and translations.
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