Manolis Aligizakis

Emmanuel Aligizakis, (Manolis) is a Cretan-Canadian poet and author. He’s the most prolific writer-poet of the Greek diaspora with οover 80 books published in more than a dozen different countries and in eleven different languages. At the age of eleven he transcribed the nearly 500 year old romantic poem Erotokritos, now released in a limited edition of 100 numbered copies and made available for collectors of such rare books at 5,000 dollars Canadian: the most expensive book of its kind to this day.

He was recently appointed an honorary instructor and fellow of the International Arts Academy, and awarded a Master’s for the Arts in Literature. He is recognized for his ability to convey images and thoughts in a rich and evocative way that tugs at something deep within the reader. Born in the village of Kolibari on the island of Crete in 1947, he moved with his family at a young age to Thessaloniki and then to Athens, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Sciences from the Panteion University of Athens.

After graduation, he served in the armed forces for two years and emigrated to Vancouver in 1973, where he worked as an iron worker, train labourer, taxi driver, and stock broker, and studied English Literature at Simon Fraser University. He has written three novels and numerous collections of poetry, which are steadily being released as published works.

His articles, poems and short stories in both Greek and English have appeared in various magazines and newspapers in Canada, United States, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Australia, Jordan, Serbia and Greece. His poetry has been translated in Romanian, Swedish, German, Hungarian, Ukrainian, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Turkish, Serbian, Russian, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, languages and has been published in book form or in magazines in various countries.

He now lives in White Rock, where he spends his time writing, gardening, traveling, and heading Libros Libertad, an unorthodox and independent publishing company which he founded in 2006 with the mission of publishing literary books.

Following the steps of El Greco he finishes all his books with the phrase: Μανώλης Αλυγιζάκης, Κρης εποίει

His translation book “George Seferis-Collected Poems” was shortlisted for the Greek National Literary Awards the highest literary recognition of Greece. In September 2017 he was awarded the First Poetry Prize of the Mihai Eminescu International Poetry Festival, in Craiova, Romania.

The Mihai Eminescu International Academy of Craiova, Romania, nominated him for the 2022 Nobel Prize in literature.

BOOKS by MANOLIS

WHEAT EARS-SELECTED POEMS, Libros Libertad, autumn, 2022

SWAMPED, a novel, Ekstasis Editions, 2020

RED IN BLACK, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2019

THE QUEST, novel, Ekstasis Editions, 2018

THE MEDUSA GLANCE, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, spring 2017

THE SECOND ADVENT OF ZEUS, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, spring 2016

CHTHONIAN BODIES, paintings by Ken Kirkby and poems by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015

IMAGES OF ABSENCE, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2015

AUTUMN LEAVES, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2014

ÜBERMENSCH/ΥΠΕΡΑΝΘΡΩΠΟΣ, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2013

MYTHOGRAPHY, paintings and poems, Libros Libertad, 2012

NOSTOS AND ALGOS, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2012

VORTEX, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2011

THE CIRCLE, novel, Libros Libertad, 2011

VERNAL EQUINOX, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2011

OPERA BUFA, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2010

VESPERS, paintings and poems, Libros Libertad, 2010

TRIPTYCH, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2010

NUANCES, poetry, Ekstasis Editions, 2009

RENDITION, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2009

IMPULSES, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2009

TROGLODYTES, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2008

PETROS SPATHIS, novel, Libros Libertad, 2008

EL GRECO, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2007

PATH OF THORNS, poetry, Libros Libertad, 2006

FOOTPRINTS IN SANDSTONE, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2006

THE ORPHANS, poetry, Authorhouse, Bloomington, Indiana, 2005

TRANSLATIONS FROM HELLENIC TO ENGLISH

TASOS LIVADITIS-POEMS, Volume II, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2022

ELEGY POEMS, poetry by Thanasis Frontistis, translated by Manolis Algizakis, Haris Patsis Publishing Co, Athens, Hellas, 2021

YANNIS RITSOS-POEMS, SELECTED BOOKS, VOLUME III, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2021

TITOS PATRIKIOS-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2020

YANNIS RITSOS-POEMS, SELECTED BOOKS, VOLUME II, Translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, Vancouver, BC, 2020

KATERINA ANGHELAKI ROOKE — SELECTED POEMS, poetry translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions, 2019.

NEO-HELLENE POETS an ANTHOLOGY of MODERN GREEK POETRY 1750-2018, poetry translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions and Libros Libertad, 2018

KARYOTAKIS — POLYDOURI, The Tragic Love Story, poetry translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2016

HOURS OF THE STARS, poetry by Dimitris Liantinis, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015

HEAR ME OUT, short stories, by Tzoutzi Mantzourani, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2015

CARESSING MYTHS, poetry by Dina Georgantopoulos, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros libertad, 2015

IDOLATERS, a novel by Joanna Frangia, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2014

TASOS LIVADITIS-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2014

YANNIS RITSOS-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions, 2013

CLOE AND ALEXANDRA-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2013

GEORGE SEFERIS-COLLECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 3rd Edition, 2021

YANNIS RITSOS-POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2010

CONSTANTINE P CAVAFY-POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Libros Libertad, 2008

CAVAFY-SELECTED POEMS, translated by Manolis Aligizakis, Ekstasis Editions, 2011