Commemorating 50 Years since his Passing (1975-2025)
The Works of Andreas Empeirikos
Andreas Empeirikos (1901–1975) was born in Brăila, Romania, the son of Leonidas Empeirikos—shipowner and politician from Andros—and Stefania Kydonieos of Russian descent. He completed secondary school in Athens and served in the Navy. He studied Philology at the University of Athens and in London, and Economic Sciences in Switzerland. In 1926 he settled in Paris, where he was introduced to Psychoanalysis under R. Laforgue, became familiar with the theories of Hegel, Marx and Engels, and met André Breton [1].
Why he matters
His collection Ypsikaminos (1935) is the first poetic work that broadly introduced “orthodox” Surrealism into Greek literature, since in most of the poems one can discern the poetic technique of automatic writing. This method is intertwined with the disruption of rational sequence and the emergence of subconscious elements—a method already outlined in the 1924 Surrealist Manifesto [2] (Dimitris Kokoris is a Professor of Modern Greek Literature in the Department of Philosophy and Education at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).
Selected chronology & life highlights • 1901 — Born in Brăila, Romania; family origin from Andros.
• 1902–1908 — Lived in Syros.
• 1908 — Settled in Athens.
• 1921–1925 — Lived in London; worked in family businesses during studies.
• 1926–1931 — Paris: connections with Surrealists (André Breton) and psychoanalytic training with René Laforgue.
• 1931 — Returned to Greece.
• Up to 1935 — Worked at the Vassiliadis shipyards; traveled to Black Sea ports; befriended Elytis, Engonopoulos, Kalamaris.
• 1935 — Delivered lecture “Surrealism: A New Poetic School”; organized exhibition of Surrealist painters; published Ypsikaminos; collaborated with several literary journals; began professional psychoanalytic practice.
• 1940 — Married poet Matsi Hatzilazarou (pen name Matsi Andreou); divorced in 1946.
• 1941 — Served for two months on the Albanian front.
• 31 Dec 1944 — Arrested by armed partisans, taken hostage to Krora (Dervenochoria), escaped.
• 1947 — Married Vivika (Eurydice) Zisi; one son, Leonidas.
• 1950 — Member of newly formed Greek psychoanalytic group (recognized by the French Psychoanalytic Society in 1948).
• 1962 — Traveled to Russia with Elytis, Theotokas, Dr. S. Spiliopoulos, invited by the Greek–Soviet Association.
• 1975 — Died in Kifissia of lung cancer.
His works
I. Poetry
• Ypsikaminos. Athens, Kastalia, 1935.
• Endochora (1934–1937). Athens, Tetradio, 1945.
• Romylos and Romos. Athens, Tetradio, 1947.
• Writings or Personal Mythology. Athens, Difros, 1960.
• The Road. Thessaloniki, Tram, 1974.
• Octana. Athens, Ikaros, 1980.
• Ai Genai Pasai. Athens, Agra, 1984.
• Es Es Er Russia.
• Zemphyra or The Secret of Pasiphae. Athens, Agra, 1998.
II. Prose • Argo · or Balloon Voyage · Ypsikaminos, ed. D. Kalokyris. Athens, Ypsilon, 1980.
• The Great Eastern (vols. 1–8), ed. G. Yiatromanolakis. Athens, Agra, 1990–1992.
III. Translations • Pablo Picasso, The Four Little Girls. Athens, Agra, 1979.
IV. Collected Editions • Poems. Athens, Galaxias, 1962. For full bibliography, see Iakovos M. Vourtsis, Bibliography of Andreas Empeirikos (1935–1984), ELIA, Athens, 1984.
Psychoanalytic writings & professional texts His clinical notes, essays, and psychoanalytic writings were first published in book form in 2001 (posthumous edition). He is often cited as one of the earliest practitioners to introduce psychoanalysis in Greece.
Notes on his Oeuvre Much of his work is dispersed: many shorter texts first appeared in literary magazines or were published posthumously. The Great Eastern exists in modern edited multi-volume editions (1990s onward). Publisher catalogues (e.g., Agra), major bookstores, and the National Library of Greece provide the most authoritative listings. Bibliography