Cretan literature
Medieval works suggest that
Venetian Crete
.
The
Cretan Renaissance poem Erotokritos is undoubtedly the masterpiece of the Cretan literature, and a supreme achievement of modern Greek literature. It is a romantic work written around 1600 by Vitsentzos Kornaros
(1553-1613). In over 10,000 lines of rhyming fifteen-syllable couplets, the poet relates the trials and tribulations suffered by two young lovers, Erotokritos and Aretousa, daughter of Heracles, King of Athens. It was a tale that enjoyed enormous popularity among its Greek readership.
The other major representative of the Cretan literature was
comedies, pastoral
and religious plays.
The flourishing Cretan school was all but terminated by the Ottoman capture of the island in the late 17th century.
Many Greek authors have integrated Cretan literary elements in their respective works. Among these authors were
Zorba the Greek and thus establish for himself recognition in various international circles. His Captain Michalis
– set in 19th-century Crete – is notable for using many Cretan Greek words and idioms, the book's popularity making them widely known to other Greeks.
See also
References
- D. Holton, Μελέτες για τον Ερωτόκριτο και άλλα νεοελληνικά κείμενα - Studies on Erotokritos and other Modern Greek texts, ed. Kastaniotis, Athens 2000. (in Greek)