La dimension familière de la poésie insulaire de Nikos Gatsos : les chants populaires grecs comme archétypes d’une poésie chantée

This article through a detailed study of Nikos Gatsos’s songwriting aims at showing that his controversial choice of abandoning written poetry for poetry that could be sung was not necessarily an easy one.  His work is the product of a contemporary and personal poetry, but popular songs, written in ancient times by unknown artists constitute the archetypes of his own.  Nikos Gatsos is not, however a sterile imitator of tradition : he found in popular songs inspiration as far as rhythm, melody, symbols are concerned but also other elements which constitute the very essence of surrealism, the same surrealism that bewithed his youth.