Dionysios Solomos

Born on Zakynthos in 1798, Dionysios Solomos grew up at a moment when the Ionian Islands were shaped by both Greek and Italian influences. He studied in Italy in his youth, and that education left a lasting mark on his literary style before he turned decisively toward writing in Greek.

Solomos is widely regarded as Greece's national poet and as one of the key voices in the development of modern Greek literature. His most famous work, Hymn to Liberty, was inspired by the Greek War of Independence and became enduringly associated with the country's national identity.

He spent much of his later life on Corfu, continuing to work on ambitious poems that were often left unfinished, including The Free Besieged. Even so, his language, musicality, and influence on later Greek writing secured his place as one of the most important poets of the 19th century.