He was born in Drama, in northern Greece. He studied literature at the Universities of Athens, Rome, Essex and Cambridge, where he wrote his PhD thesis on Seferis (The Poet and the Dancer, published in 1979). From 1980 to 1991 he taught Modern Greek Literature at the University of Crete. Professor of Literary Theory and Criticism at the University of Athens (1992-2012 –now Emeritus). He has published ten books of studies and essays on literary matters, eleven books of poetry, and a book of short stories.
