author
Antonios Martelaos
1754–1819
A priest, teacher, and poet from Zakynthos, he became one of the notable voices of pre-Solomos Ionian literature. He is also remembered for his patriotic writing and for teaching several important figures of modern Greek letters.
1 Audiobook
Η Λύρα Ανδρέου Κάλβου και Ανέκδοτος Ύμνος Αντωνίου Μαρτελάου
by Andreas Kalvos, Antonios Martelaos
About the author
Born on Zakynthos in 1754, Antonios Martelaos studied Greek learning and, under western monks, also learned Italian and Latin philosophy and literature. Sources describe him as a priest, teacher, poet, and church orator, and place him among the leading writers of the pre-Solomos literary circle.
Martelaos is especially associated with patriotic verse, including a work titled Thourios. He is also remembered as a teacher of later notable intellectual and literary figures, with local historical sources naming students such as Dionysios Solomos, Ugo Foscolo, Georgios Tertsetis, and Antonios Matesis.
The exact year of his death is not entirely consistent across sources: some give 1818, while others give 1819. In either case, he spent his life closely tied to Zakynthos, where his work left a lasting mark on the island's literary memory.