• Chris Tsirkas
    Author's photo GeneralInfo
Bio:
Chris A. Tsirkas is a software architect and self-taught classicist and playwright, known for breathing new life into ancient narratives through innovative theatrical adaptations. With a deep passion for ancient Greek literature, Tsirkas explores the intricate realms of ancient Greek lyric poetry, drama, philosophy, psychology, religious studies and linguistics in his creative work. His influences also include French opera of the 17th-18th centuries, Shakespeare, Victorian poetry, French symbolism and its impact on modern Greek poetry, and Greek poets like Mavilis, Palamas, Hatzopoulos, and Sikelianos.

His first publication, Βελλεροφόντης (“Bellerophon”), an adaptation of the original work of N. J. Spyropoulos, reimagines the myth through Modern Greek verse.

He followed this with an edition of Euripides’ Βάκχες (“Bacchae”), providing the original text with a metrical translation and commentary, to make classical works accessible to contemporary readers.

In the tragic domain, his work Μέδουσα (“Medusa”) reconstructs an Attic tragedy in classical verse, capturing ancient dramatic traditions for modern audiences.

His adaptation of Euripides' Ἀντιόπη (“Antiope”) in English verse and in Greek (2 separate publications) pieces together the fragmented play with poetic sensitivity, adding commentary, in order to deepen readers' understanding.

His work, Tragedy - Logos, Rhythm and Psyche («Τραγωδία - Λόγος, Ρυθμός και Ψυχή»), explores the linguistic, rhythmic and psychological dimensions of Attic Tragedy. Examining elements like metrics, language and choral odes, this book bridges ancient and modern worlds, with a nuanced look at the enduring power of Τragedy.

In his innovative project "The Veils of the Seven Skies" (2025), Tsirkas merges Attic Tragedy with Chinese Opera aesthetics. Following Dionysus's journey to China's Celestial Court, this work explores questions of Balance and Transformation, through musicalized verse and choreography, creating a dialogue between cultures that illuminates universal themes transcending geographical and temporal boundaries.

In "Morgana - A Tragedy in Five Acts," Tsirkas reimagines the Arthurian legend from Arthur's sister's perspective, combining Elizabethan verse with Greek tragic structure. He portrays Morgana as a priestess caught between ancient wisdom and Christianity, examining how powerful women become villainized when their stories are written by those who fear them.

In "King Starchidagoras - The Phallic Quest to the Underworld," Tsirkas makes a departure from Tragedy to Aristophanic Comedy. This ribald work follows an antihero king, who journeys to the Underworld to retrieve the "First Phallus" and save his city from Aphrodite's curse. Maintaining classical Greek comedy structure while incorporating modern sensibilities, this bawdy satire explores human weakness, political absurdity, and sexual politics, through unapologetically explicit humor and sharp social commentary.

The author contributes to Goodreads by inviting readers to a literary journey inspired by ancient Greek themes, and also experiments with symphonic metal and other modern music genres, blending the intensity of Attic tragedy with modern music, through AI-composed tracks which unite ancient tradition with today’s dynamic sounds.
General Information:
General information not uploaded yet.
 
  • Cover Image

Antiope - Euripides' reconstructed tragedy : Ιn English verse, wit...

By: Chris Tsirkas

This tragedy intertwines the myths of Thebes with the personal tale of Antiope, aiming to capture the essence of ancient Greek theatre, by exploring the complex interplay between human suffering and divine intervention. The play explores themes of justice, vengeance, identity, and the transformative power of art, inviting audiences to reflect on human suffering and on the quest for redemption —amidst divine intervention and mortal frailty. By presenting this timeles...

Read More
  • Cover Image

The Veils of the Seven Skies - Where Order Meets Ecstasy : A Drama...

By: Chris Tsirkas

"The Veils of the Seven Skies" was born from a personal need to reconstruct the experience of Tragedy –not as narrative, but as passage. In a time where theatre often becomes commentary or spectacle, I longed to return to its ritual core: a place where sound, word and silence become thresholds. The work seeks to revive the Sacred in performance –not through religion, but through the metaphysical weight of form, repetition and gesture. It is a response to the fragmentatio...

"The Veils of the Seven Skies" was born from a personal need to reconstruct the experience of Tragedy –not as narrative, but as passage. In a time where theatre often becomes commentary or spectacle, I longed to return to its ritual core: a place where sound, word and silence become thresholds. The work seeks to revive the Sacred in performance –not through religion, but through the metaphysical weight of form, repetition and gesture. It is a response to the fragmentatio...

Read More
  • Cover Image

Morgana : A Tragedy in Five Acts, in Shakespearean blank verse: A ...

By: Chris Tsirkas

"Morgana - A Tragedy in Five Acts" represents my most recent contribution to the ongoing artistic dialogue between classical dramatic traditions and contemporary thematic concerns. Written in Shakespearean blank verse but structurally and philosophically aligned with Attic tragedy, this dramatic work reimagines the Arthurian legend through the perspective of Morgana, traditionally cast as antagonist but here revealed as a complex protagonist caught between competing worldviews.

Read More
 
1
Records: 1 - 3 of 3 - Pages: 


Copyright © World Library Foundation. All rights reserved. eBooks from Project Gutenberg are sponsored by the World Library Foundation,
a 501c(4) Member's Support Non-Profit Organization, and is NOT affiliated with any governmental agency or department.