This volume anthologizes critical texts on the poetic work of Yiannis Ritsos, covering a period that spans over eight decades, from 1927 - the year his early works appeared in the Great Greek Encyclopedia Magazine - to the present day.

The critical reception of Ritsos is complex, just as his poetic journey was. In certain aspects of his work, Ritsos is overtly political and one-dimensional, while in others he is deeply existential, at times metaphysical, and generally productively modernist, reabsorbing stylistic developments and personal quests.

He is the most prolific Greek poet, and no other poet surpasses the multitude of his excellent poems. His work has resonated with both readers and scholars - publications about Ritsos have increased over time, as evidenced by the chronological indications of the texts anthologized here.

The body of modern Greek poetry would be thinner and different without the contributions of Ritsos, as well as the work of poets influenced by him. The critical landscape regarding Ritsos's poetry was already interesting during the Interwar period but became particularly enriched after the Restoration.

The critical polyphony, in fact, naturally led to an increased exploration of issues concerning the aesthetic dynamics and the stylistic effectiveness of Ritsos's poetry. Collective volumes have been published, many of whose texts have contributed to a more substantive study of Ritsos's poetry and poetics, intensifying published studies and dedications in literary journals, as well as monographs that serve as comprehensive treaties on his poetry and investigations of specific aspects of his work.

Notable traces of this critical journey formed the volume.