Anna Ioannidou
- Cyprus -
Anna Ioannidou, Poet, Psychotherapist, Co-founder of Limassol International Book Fair; Founder, Apotipomata.com;
Anna Ioannidou is Cypriot Greek poet who comes from the capital city, Nicosia. She is one of the founders at Limassol International Book Fair, a leading cultural initiative in Cyprus about Books and Letters. Since 2021, she practices Counseling and Psychotherapy, while she has studies in English Language, Psycholinguistics, Human Resources and Counseling & Psychotherapy. She worked for 8 years at Heart Group where she was the Head of Partnerships and Communication at Reflect festival for 4 years. Reflect is the largest technology and innovation festival organized in Cyprus.
Since 2016 she runs the Poetry and Literature blog Apotipomata, while in 2022 she published her first poetry collection Apotipomata, [Imprints] by Armida Books. This poetry collection has been shortlisted in the National Awards for Literature. Poems of her have also been published in the poetry Anthology “The Youngest, Cypriot poets 1981-2001”, Armida Books, 2020.
Human Relationships in the Urban Landscape
By Giorgos Fragkos
December 12, 2022, 6:38 PM
Anna Ioannidou: “Apotipomata” [Imprints], Armida Publications, 2022
The new poet Anna Ioannidou already displays crystallized aesthetic principles and clearly defined thematic directions. She chooses to express herself poetically with economy, simplicity, and directness, utilizing contemporary patterns of lyricism and introspection.
At the same time, she grounds her broader thematic scope in two core areas: human relationships within the urban landscape, and poetic quests with a philosophical undercurrent. The overall result is not only far from negligible—it is full of promise.
I begin my journey through the verses of this new poet with the poems that deal with human, interpersonal relationships. Here, I believe, the critical acuity of A.I. comes through, often tinged with traces of irony. The pretentious, the insincere, the counterfeit—these are sharply and clearly denounced:
“Beware the PR people
who greet you with ‘How are you doing?’
Instantly recognizable.
They move away straightaway,
each time you begin to utter
your most sincere response (p. 20)
The next poem shares a similar theme. Equally successful aesthetically, and even more succinct:
“So many handshakes
and not a single palm warmed
So many ‘pleased to meet you’
and still, hearts remain sad.” (p. 21)
This thematic motif continues, but now with greater rawness and cynicism. Here, emotional collapse is conveyed with clarity, honesty, and directness—leaving behind a lingering bitterness:
“Time skip the handshakes
and the ‘how are you doings”
and let’s get to the point.
So tell me—
how many trains
have run over you?” (p. 29)
Contemporary reality frequently seeps into the domain of interpersonal relationships. The paradoxes, irrationalities, and contradictions of the pandemic are captured in just a few verses—with precision, immediacy, and clear emotional depth:
“In official quarantine.
At a safe distance from everything we love most.
If you love, you do not touch,
especially if you love, you do not touch.
And for God’s sake, no kiss, no hug.” (p. 37)
In her more “personal” poems, A.I. becomes even more poignant, moving, and vivid. How much tenderness, love, care, devotion, and recognition is packed into these lines:
“Why all the meticulous sterilization
in those early months,
mama?
You knew
sooner or later
we too
would end up in the same mud.
I guess you were betting
on ‘later.’” (p. 54)
Time now to move on to the poems of poetics—where A.I. presents her own view on poetic matters. I begin with a poem that could, in some ways, be considered a kind of poetic manifesto. Here, poetry is given the role of a call to action—a trumpet blast for awakening.
At the same time, aesthetic concessions are allowed, provided they serve a higher purpose. Personally, I largely share this hierarchical prioritization of A.I., so long as a basic balance between semantic weight and aesthetic beauty is maintained. Here’s the poem:
“Sleep is deep—
so deep that sometimes I think
clichés and repetitions are worth it.
If it means one more might awaken,
I state it again, in clichés—
so be it.” (p. 16)
A.I. enjoys thematizing the virtues of poetry—its redemptive value, its purifying power, its soothing tone:
“…an unwritten poem appears and saves me.
It’s enough that it holds me in its arms,
that we breathe together in rhythm
until it gently puts me to sleep…” (p. 44)
Overall, A.I.’s poetry is characterized by a profound lyricism, rich with emotional resonance and empathetic depth—especially for those tested by life events that leave lasting wounds.
That’s why her verses often contain lines of introspection, self-cleansing, and inner redemption from various inner “demons”:
“Look how they stay carved onto us—
like tattoos.
Skin becomes one with the skin.
If it were a stain, it might fade.
If it were a scrape, it might heal…
…every time you begin to clean the wounds,
you realize they’ve already started
to cleanse you.” (p. 43)
Surely, as wounds cleanse us, they also define us.
I would like to conclude this brief presentation with the final poem of the collection “Apotipomata”[Imprints]. It is a manifesto poem—with clear, emphatic, unequivocal instructions and exhortations. A model of human behavior, according to the poet’s values:
“Be mindful
of people with good intentions
of people with bad intentions
of grand speeches
of muffled silence…
…of the lady asking for a euro
of the lady giving a euro.
But above all,
be mindful
of the pain buried within you
that never managed to transform
into
the imprints
of Love.” (p. 56)
In conclusion—based on her idiosyncratic credo and her inclination toward the theme of human suffering—I would recommend that A.I. study the poetry of Anna Akhmatova. She will be surprised by how much there is to learn.
Original article: https://www.philenews.com/politismos/article/1206312/i-anthropines-schesis-sto-astiko-topio/
Translation: Yiannis Omorfou, BA in English Language and Literature, University of Cyprus, MA in Media Studies and Public Relations, University of Newcastle
Linkedin profile: https://be.linkedin.com/in/omorfou
Poetry
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Ahead / Προβάδισμα
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The Price / Το τίμημα
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On Speech / Περί λόγου
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Blind eye / Χαλάλι
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Which Translation? / Για ποια μετάφραση να μιλήσουμε;
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In the Generation of Meetings / Στη γενιά των meetings
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Per via di levar / Per via di levar
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Forget about handshakes / Ας αφήσουμε τις χειραψίες
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Interest Rate / Επιτόκιο
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Stalagmites / Σταλαγμίτες
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Lost Case / Χαμένη Υπόθεση
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August of 2021 / Αύγουστος του 2021
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Wounds / Πληγές
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Poet / Ποιητής
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I Like It When It Rains / Μ’ αρέσει όταν βρέχει
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You Don’t Know Me Well / Δε με ξέρεις καλά
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Safe Place Technique / Safe Place Technique
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To Mr. Hank / Στον κύριο Τσαρλς
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Percent / Τοις εκατό
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Beware / Να προσέχεις
