author
Rigas Golfis
1886–1958
A Greek poet and critic with a sharp public voice, he was known for defending the use of everyday spoken Greek in literature. His work brings together literary passion, social feeling, and a strong sense of cultural debate.
1 Audiobook
Ο Γήταυρος Δράμα
by Rigas Golfis
About the author
Born in Mesolonghi on January 21, 1886, Rigas Golfis was the pen name of Dimitris Dimitriadis. He studied law at the University of Athens and later worked as a notary, while also building a literary presence as a poet, critic, and contributor to the influential magazine O Noumas.
Golfis became known as one of the most forceful supporters of Demotic Greek, the movement that argued literature should speak in the language people actually used. Even when he wrote on social themes, he seems to have kept his poetry closely tied to lyric expression rather than turning it into simple political slogans.
He died on January 1, 1958. Today he is remembered as part of an important generation of Greek writers who linked literature, criticism, and language reform in the early 20th century.