WThe term Heptanese School of literature denotes the literary production of the Ionian Island's literature figures from the late 18th century till the end of the 19th century. The center of this production is considered to be the poet Dionysios Solomos, so its periods are conventionally divided as follows: Pre-Solomian poets, Solomian poets, Post-Solomian poets, Minors and Descendants.
W"The Free Besieged" is an epic, unfinished work, composed by Dionysios Solomos and inspired by the third siege of Missolonghi (1825–1826), a crucial conflict of the Greek War of Independence. It is not a single work, but consists of three separate poems in fragmentary form. The Free Besieged is considered one of the greatest poems of Solomos, national poet of Greece.
WThe "Hymn to Liberty" or "Hymn to Freedom" is a poem written by Dionysios Solomos in 1823 that consists of 158 stanzas, which is used as the national anthem of Greece and the Republic of Cyprus. It was set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, and is the longest national anthem in the world by length of text. In 1865, the first three stanzas officially became the national anthem of Greece and, from 1966, also that of Cyprus.
WAndreas Laskaratos was a satirical poet and writer from the Ionian island of Cefalonia, representative of the Heptanese School (literature). He was excommunicated by the Greek Orthodox Church because his satire targeted many of the church's prominent members.
WLorentzos Mavilis was a Greek poet and chess problems composer. He is best known for his sonnets.
WDionysios Solomos was a Greek poet from Zakynthos. He is best known for writing the Hymn to Liberty, of which the first two stanzas, set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, became the Greek and Cypriot national anthem in 1865 and 1966 respectively. He was the central figure of the Heptanese School of poetry, and is considered the national poet of Greece—not only because he wrote the national anthem, but also because he contributed to the preservation of earlier poetic tradition and highlighted its usefulness to modern literature. Other notable poems include Ὁ Κρητικός, Ἐλεύθεροι Πολιορκημένοι. A characteristic of his work is that no poem except the Hymn to Liberty was completed, and almost nothing was published during his lifetime.
WGeorgios Tertsetis was a Greek independence fighter, historian, politician, poet, writer, judge and philosopher. He is best known, along with Anastasios Polyzoidis, for his refusal to agree to the condemnation and execution of Theodoros Kolokotronis and Dimitrios Plapoutas, in 1834.
WAristotelis Valaoritis was a Greek poet, representative of the Heptanese School, and politician. He was also the great-grandfather of Nanos Valaoritis, one of the most distinguished writers of Greece.