Yannis Ritsos died in 1990, and this coin was issued on the centenary of his birth. He remains one of the most translated Greek poets of the twentieth century, though his decades-long membership in the Communist Party of Greece meant he spent years in detention camps — including Makronisos — during the postwar anti-communist purges. The Greek state's decision to honor him on a commemorative coin represents a long institutional reckoning with how his political history had been handled.
KM#226 was struck in a limited mintage intended primarily for collector sets tied to Greek cultural figures.
Yannis Ritsos died in 1990, and this coin was issued on the centenary of his birth. He remains one of the most translated Greek poets of the twentieth century, though his decades-long membership in the Communist Party of Greece meant he spent years in detention camps — including Makronisos — during the postwar anti-communist purges. The Greek state's decision to honor him on a commemorative coin represents a long institutional reckoning with how his political history had been handled.
KM#226 was struck in a limited mintage intended primarily for collector sets tied to Greek cultural figures.