Background
George or Giorgos or Giorgis or Georgios Pavlopoulos as known in the literature field, was born in Pyrgos, on the west coast of the Peloponnese in Greece.
George or Giorgos or Giorgis or Georgios Pavlopoulos as known in the literature field, was born in Pyrgos, on the west coast of the Peloponnese in Greece.
He was educated at primary and secondary levels in Pyrgos, a childhood illness left him permanently lame. He attended the School of Law at the University of Athens He did not complete his degree and returned to Pyrgos where he worked as book-keeper and secretary for the local bus company.
Before World World War II Pyrgos was a rich provincial centre and Pavlopoulos"s father ran a local restaurant and cake shop. In 1943, during the German occupation, the local bishop allowed Pavlopoulos access to the cathedral printing press With some of his school friends he printed and published a magazine called Odyssey containing his first published poem.
This group included Takis Sinopoulos with whom he later wrote experimental cooperative poetry.
The group performed a play, advertised with posters proclaiming Freedom or Death. The text was controversial and landed Pavlopoulos in trouble with the local Gestapo, who asked who had written lieutenant
Pavlopoulos had eventually to pretend that it was by Victor Hugo, although it had been written by themselves. The Nazi withdrawal at close of war lead to bitter fighting between factions in the resistance.
The unhappiness of war and civil war is reflected in much of Pavlopoulos"s poetry.
His poetry has been translated into other languages, including: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Spanish. He died on 26 November 2008.