Aristotelis Valaoritis: “Τhe Lefkadian Bard”
200th Anniversary of the Birth of the National Poet
Aristotelis Valaoritis was born and raised in Lefkada from a wealthy family. The family mansion on the small island of Madouri, just across from Scorpios, is still known as “Valaoritis Island”. Ηe studied in Italy and Switzerland and then completed his Law degree in Paris. In 1848, he was awarded a Doctorate in Law from the University of Pisa, but he never practiced law, as he dedicated himself to poetry. At the age of 27, he married the daughter of the Venetian scholar, Emilio Typaldos, Eloisa, who was the love of his life. Independent, dynamic, and untamed, he envisioned a free Greece united with the Ionian Islands and praised and highlighted the struggle of the Greeks for independence.
Poetry
Valaoritis published his first poetry collection in 1847 when he was a student, and in 1857 he released the poetry collection titled “Memorials”, with the theme of heroes’ deaths by the Turks.
In 1859, he published his major poem, “Kyra Frosini,” in verse with a dramatic structure and inspired by the drowning of the woman of Epirus, Frosini, who rejected the love of Ali Pasha. Followed by the poetic compositions “Athanasios Diakos” and “Astrapogiannos” in 1867, characterized by less lyricism, but as always, with national idealism. He died in 1879, before he could finish, his most complete work, “Foteinos”.
Political Career
In 1853, Valaoritis joined the liberal political faction of the radicals who advocated for the Union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, and in 1957 he was elected to the Ionian Parliament. After the Union in 1864, he became a member of parliament in Athens, where he distinguished himself as a skilled orator. However, he preferred poetry and dedicated himself to the intellectual support of the struggle for the liberation of Epirus.
