Greek Poetry Featured at International Festival in Iași

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 Larissa Prefecture in Greece and grew up in Stomio (Larissa). He studied Medicine at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). He lives in Larissa (Greece) and works as a medical doctor (internal medicine specialist physician). He is the author of 12 poetry books in Greece and abroad: “Traces” (Greece 1985), “Clay Faces” (Greece 1992), “Fictitious Line” (Greece 2005), “Dunes” (Romania 2007), “Endogram” (Greece 2010), “Edda” (Romania 2010), “Illusions” (Romania 2010), “Leaves Vowels” (Italy 2017), “Tie of Public Decency” (Greece 2018), “Minus one” (Spain 2022), “Wrinkles in the Coffee” (Greece 2024) and “Hearing the Same Sound” (Kosovo 2025). He is also the Editor-in-chief of an international anthology in English (205 poets from 65 countries). He has won international awards for his poetry which has been translated into 40 languages. He participated in International Poetry Festivals around the World. He is Doctor of Literature, Academician, President Emeritus 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 (Larissa, Greece), Chairman of the Writers for Peace Committee of PEN Greece, President of Scientific Committee of the International Poetry Festival of Naoussa (Greece) and member of World Poetry Movement (WPM) and Poets of the Planet (POP).