O Armatolos

1860 | Fiction & Poetry

O Armatolos” (O Aρματολός) was published on March 25, 1860, in the Greek language, for Parlichev's sole purpose of entering it in the Greek royal poetry competition of Athens University. However, the poem was officially adopted in February the same year by the contest committee of the university. The poem was announced as the winner of the competition by the prominent Greek poet Alexandros Rhizos Rhangaves.
Three days after the poem received the prize in the anonymous competition, Parlichev was called by the university authorities to recite the poem in order to prove he is the author. The laurel wreath as the central prize was presented to him by the Greek king Otto.
The true perfection of his verses quite justifiably gained for him the flattering epithet a Second Homer.
“O Armatolos” tells the story about the death of a legendary hero who protected the villagers from the Albanians gangs (of people Ghegis). The action in the poem takes place in the middle of the 19th century in the western parts of region Macedonia, respectively the region between Galichnik, Reka, and the village Stan (nowadays North Macedonia).

Grigor Prlichev (Author)