Zisis Oikonomou

Zisis Oikonomou (Greek: Ζήσης Οικονόμου ['zizis ikɔ'nɔmu]; 25 April 1911 – 3 August 2005), also spelled Zisis Economou, was a Greek poet and prose writer. In 1977 he received the poetry award from the Academy of Athens for all his work and especially for his book Cloudless Silence (Greek: "Αιθρία σιγή"). In 1995, he was honoured with the Greek National Prize of Poetry. Oikonomou was born on the Greek island of Skiathos, where he also spent his childhood years. His father was a captain and owner of a sailing ship. He died when Zisis Oikonomou was 10 years old. His mother managed to raise him and his two siblings by working on the loom and trading in carpets from Skiathos. Zisis Oikonomou belongs to the interwar generation of Greek poets. His poetic career covers a widespread thematic and stylistic range. In the literature he first appeared in 1930 with a publication of verses in the Athenian journal Nea Genia. In 1934 his first collection of poems was published. In the Greek-Italian War (1940/41) Oikonomou was an interpreter of Italian and German in the staff of the 3rd Army Corps. In 1941–45, during the Greek occupation, a small ship served as a residence for him and his wife Eugenia (née Deligianni). They travelled the islands of the northern Aegean Sea and the Gulf of Euboea – until they were suspected and harassed in interrogations by Italians, Germans and even by their own compatriots. His excellent language skills, his sincerity and fearlessness helped Oikonomou to escape the many dangerous situations of that time. Oikonomou was extremely linguistically gifted. He was fluent in 10 languages and dealt with cross-cultural, cross-class and cross-political life issues. Oikonomou was passionate about travelling. He published his experiences, insights and impressions in magazines and newspapers – with his name, but also with a pseudonym. From the mid-50s until 1976, he interrupted his publications and dealt with research on linguistics, sociology and politics.