Cyprus – Literature
Cypriot literature includes works in Greek, and Turkish including the local dialects, and English. Some of the most notable authors include:
Leontios Machairas (15th century)
Leontios Machairas was a historian from medieval Cyprus who lived during the 15th century. His most important work was a chronicle written in the Cypriot dialect of the times. His work is of great historical value as it offers a great insight into the Byzantine times on the island.
Vasilis Michaelidis (1849-1917)
He is one of the greatest Greek Cypriot authors and by many considered the national poet. He wrote in the Cypriot dialect as well as the standard Greek of the times. One of his most famous works is “The 9th of July 1821″, a poem written in the Cypriot dialect recounting the events that preceded the execution of the Greek Cypriot leadership and the Archbishop, by the Ottomans rulers during the Greek revolution. He is also known for his romantic poem “The Fairy” (“Anerada”) which recounts the romantic encounter of a young man with a fairy.
Costas Montis (1914 –2004)
He was a Greek Cypriot poet, novelist, and playwright who received many honors and awards for his work throughout his life including a Nobel Prize nomination in 1984. During his life he witnessed several wars and political unrest in Cyprus and therefore his love for the island and his concern for the future of his homeland are frequent themes in his works. The Cypriot composer Marios Tokas, wrote music for some of his poems. His works have been translated into English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, and Russian.
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Stephanos Stephanidis (1949)
He is a Cypriot-born author, poet, translator, critic, ethnographer, and documentary filmmaker. He moved to the UK at a young age and has lived in many different countries. He was part of the founding faculty of the University of Cyprus where he worked as a Professor of English and Comparative Literature. His migration background and travels shaped his work and gave it a transcultural character. In his creative and academic writing, he dealt with issues of cross-culturality, dislocation, migration, and postcolonialism.
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Osman Türkay (1927 – 2001)
Osman Türkay was a Turkish Cypriot internationally acclaimed poet and journalist whose works have received several awards including a Nobel Prize nomination in 1988. He jas been characterized as a poet of the “space-age” as his work included themes of planets, stars, and of humans of a nuclear future. He published 6 anthologies and his poems have been translated into more than 30 languages.
Neriman Cahit (1937)
She is a Turkish Cypriot poet and author and a vocal advocate of women’s rights. Her early works focused on romantic themes but later wrote about more social issues as well. During her career as a teacher she observed the state of Turkish Cypriot women in the villages that she worked in, she reflected on the conditions they suffered from which inspired her to explore womanhood in Cyprus in her works. She also wrote about her deep love for her city Nicosia and the pain that the city’s division gives to her.
Neşe Yaşın (1959)
She is a Turkish Cypriot poet, author academic, and peace activist. Through her poetry and participation in bicommunal initiatives, she promotes the reconciliation and peace between Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, and in 2006 she was the first Turkish Cypriot to run for the parliamentary elections since the departure of the Turkish-Cypriot candidates in 1963. She works at the University of Cyprus in the department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies. She is the daughter of Özker Yaşın, an accomplished poet and author and the sister of the award-winning poet Mehmet Yaşın.
