thesilkroadtoday
Poems by Dimitris P. Kraniotis were translated into Romanian by the distinguished translator Cătălina Frâncu and published in the anthology of the XII International Festival “Poezia la Iași,” held in Iași from May 8 to 17, 2026.
The festival, regarded as one of the important international poetry events in Eastern Europe, gathered dozens of poets, translators, critics, and literary voices from various countries in a broad cultural program dedicated to contemporary world poetry and intercultural dialogue.
The inclusion of Dimitris P. Kraniotis in the official anthology highlights the growing presence of contemporary Greek poetry within international literary exchange. Through the Romanian translations by Cătălina Frâncu, festival readers were introduced to poetic works reflecting human experience, cultural memory, and lyrical reflection.
Organized by the Casa de Cultură „Mihai Ursachi” and Romanian cultural institutions, the festival featured poetry readings, anthology presentations, translation sessions, literary discussions, and meetings between poets and audiences throughout the city of Iași.
The official anthology issued during the festival serves as a literary document preserving the voices of participating international poets and emphasizing the continuing role of translation in building bridges between cultures and languages.
The XII edition of “Poezia la Iași” reaffirmed the city’s reputation as a significant European center for poetry and international cultural communication, bringing together literary traditions from different parts of the world in a shared celebration of art and language.
Dimitris P. Kraniotis
Dimitris P. Kraniotis was born in 1966 in the Prefecture of Larissa, Greece, and grew up in Stomio (Larissa). He studied Medicine at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. He lives in Larissa, Greece, where he works as an internist physician.
He is the author of twelve poetry books published in Greece and abroad, including Traces (Greece, 1985), Clay Faces (Greece, 1992), Fictitious Line (Greece, 2005), Dunes (Romania, 2007), Endogram (Greece, 2010), and Edda.
He is also the editor-in-chief of an international anthology in English featuring 205 poets from 65 countries. His poetry has received numerous international awards and has been translated into 40 languages. He has participated in International Poetry Festivals around the world.
Dimitris P. Kraniotis is a Doctor of Literature, academician, Honorary President of the World Congress of Poets (UPLI), President of the 22nd World Congress of Poets (Greece 2011), President of the World Poets Society (WPS), Director of the Mediterranean Poetry Festival in Larissa, Greece, President of the Writers for Peace Committee of PEN Greece, President of the Scientific Committee of the International Poetry Festival of Naoussa (Greece), and a member of the World Poetry Movement (WPM) and Poets of the Planet (POP).
The Tie of Public Decency
I had begun undressing myself
Of clothes
I remained naked
In the middle of the wilderness
I was screaming
In an unknown language
(One way or another,
Who would have understood me?)
And yet, I was not arrested
For violating public decency
To stop the scream,
They offered me absinthe
And dressed me elegantly
But my shoelaces
Did not match their tie
I left no tip change behind
I did not slip diagonally
Romanian version by Cătălina Frâncu.
