According to
Harvard University, he "had a profound influence on the post-war generation of Greek poets. Writing of both loss and hope, Gatsos’s unique blend of surrealism, symbolism and folk song created intense admiration and assured his place alongside his friends, Nobel laureates
Odysseas Elytis and
George Seferis, as one of the great twentieth-century Greek poets". Nikos Gatsos was born in 1911 in
Asea in
Arcadia, a district of the
Peloponnese, where he finished primary school (
dimotiko). He attended high school (
gymnasio) in
Tripoli, where he became acquainted with literature and foreign languages. Afterwards, he moved to
Athens, where he studied literature, philosophy, and history at the
University of Athens for two years only. His knowledge of
English and
French was quite good and he was already familiar with
Kostis Palamas,
Dionysios Solomos, Greek
folk songs, and recent trends in European
poetry. In Athens, he came in contact with the literary circles of the day becoming one of the lifelong friends of fellow poet
Odysseus Elytis and published his poems, small in extent and in a classic style, in the magazines
Nea Estia (1931–32) and
Rythmos (1933). During that period he also published criticism in
Makedonikes Imeres (Μακεδονικές Ημέρες),
Rythmos (Ρυθμός), and
Nea Grammata (Νέα Γράμματα) (for
Kostis Bastias,
Myrtiotissa, and
Thrasos Kastanakis, respectively). In 1936, he met
Odysseus Elytis, and became his literary "brother" in poetry. In 1943, Aetos published his long poem
Amorgos, a major contribution to contemporary Greek poetry notable especially for its combination of
surrealism with traditional Greek folk poetry motifs. He subsequently published three more poems: "Elegeio" (1946) in
Filologika Chronika, "The Knight and Death" (Ο ιππότης κι ο θάνατος) (1947), and "Song of Old Times" (Τραγούδι του παλιού καιρού) (1963), dedicated to
Yorgos Seferis, in the magazine
Tachydromos. After
World War II, he worked with the
Greek-British Review as a translator and with
Ellinikí Radiofonía as a radio director. During that period he also began writing lyrics for
Manos Hadjidakis. In due course, he also collaborated with
Mikis Theodorakis and other notable composers. His hard and language skills were noticed by the "Art Theatre", the "
Greek National Theatre" and the "Popular Theatre" of Greece, and entrusted him to translate various plays - his magnum opus was the translation in Greek of the Spanish tragedy "
Blood Wedding" by
Federico Garcia Lorca. He was close to
Manos Hadjidakis and
Nana Mouskouri. His friends included
Philip Sherrard,
Peter Levi,
Peter Jay, and
Desmond O'Grady. He died in Athens on 12 May 1992, aged 80. ==Amorgos poems==