Greece’s Great Writer Manos Eleftheriou passes away aged 80

Greek writer of poetry, novels and songs, Manos Eleftheriou has died of a heart attack at the age of 80.

The famous writer was known for his poetry collections, novels, short stories and song writing, which had him working with great Greek music composers such as Mikis Thodorakis, Manos Hadjidakis, Giorgos Zambetas and Loukianos Kilaidonis.

The very talented man also worked as a columnist, editor and on children’s books.

Manos Eleftheriou was born on the 12^th of March 1938 on the island of Syros and moved to Athens as a teenager.

At the age of 22, while still in the military, he wrote a poem “To treno fevgi stis 8” , which Mikis Theodorakis later composed the music for.

In 2005 he won the State Literature Award for “The Time of the Chrysanthemums" and in 2013 he was honoured at the Athens Academy for his contribution to the Greek letters.

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos has praised Eleftheriou as one of the country’s great intellectuals.