Yannis Ritsos was born in 1909 in Monemvasia, Greece. He is the author of many books of poetry, translated into many European languages, and the recipient of many international awards, including the Lenin Prize in 1977. Translations into English include: Ritsos in Parentheses, Trans. & Introduction by Edmund Keeley, Princeton University Press, 1979. Twelve Songs for the Biter Motherland. Translated by Theophanis Stavrou, Univ. of Minnesota Press, 1979.