| The First Death | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Dimitris Lyacos |
| Original title | Ο πρώτος θάνατος |
| Translator | Shorsha Sullivan |
| Cover artist | Fritz Unegg |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Poetry Postmodernism |
| Publisher | Shoestring Press |
| Publication date | March 23, 2000 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 37 pages |
| ISBN | 978-1899549429 |
| OCLC Number | 45991303 |
| Preceded by | Nyctivoe </gr>(2001) |
Dimitris Lyacos’s The First Death is the latest installment of a narrative sequence entitled Poena Damni.
The book was originally published in Greek in 1996 and has been translated in English, German,Spanish and Italian. Its two predecessors depict the Odysseus-like wanderings of a figure who, in postmodern style, labors to create the world he explores.
In the First Death, the result of his voyaging is that he himself is on the verge of dissolution, a castaway who is also an abortion, dying before he has ever achieved birth.[1]
Oblique classical references are embedded in the text such as the presence of Orpheus, suggested by images of dismemberment, and echoes of Dionysos.[2].