George Pavlopoulos

Who was George Pavlopoulos?

George Pavlopoulos was a Greek poet, relatively unknown outside Greece, but admired within his own country by fellow poets such as George Seferis.

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. Before World War II Pyrgos was a rich provincial centre and Pavlopoulos's father ran a local restaurant and cake shop. 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. Upon his return from Athens he married a local girl and had a son called Haralabos.

Childhood friends of his in Pyrgos included the musician Mikis Theodorakis and Takis Sinopoulos the poet.

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.