FRIAR, KIMON

Born in 1911, Kimon Friar is an American poet, translator, and editor of Greek descent. He is best known as the translator of Nikos Kazantzakis's verse epic The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, published in 1958. In 1992, the Library purchased a substantial portion of Friar's literary papers [(MSS) C0713] as well as 1500 books from his Library. The books are chiefly by and about more than 80 Greek authors contemporary with Friar, especially post World War II poets, including: Yannis Ritsos (79 titles dating from 1938 to 1986), Nikos Kazantzakis (37 titles, many with the author's inscriptions to Friar), Odysseus Elytis (Nobel Prize for Literature in 1979), George Seferis, and such like. The books were catalogued for the General Rare Book Collection during the year March 1992 to March 1993.