Twenty-two poems

Karolos Koun was born in 1908 in Bursa. A leading director and theater educator, he inextricably linked his name to the founding of the "Theatro Technis" (Art Theater) and the establishment of modernism on the modern Greek stage.

In 1928, he attended courses in aesthetics at the Sorbonne, and the following year, he settled permanently in Athens. While working as an English teacher at Athens College, Koun immediately became active in the amateur theater of the Anglo-American community's teachers, and in 1930, he directed his first production.

Following a decisive encounter with Photis Kontoglou, he co-founded—along with Yannis Tsarouchis and Dionysios Devaris—the semi-professional "Laiki Skini" (People's Stage) (1934–1936).

In 1938, he left the College and collaborated with the troupes of Kyria Katerina and Marika Kotopouli. However, his vision was to create his own stable, dedicated group with actors who viewed theater as a calling. This vision was realized in 1942 when, in the midst of the German Occupation, he founded the "Theatro Technis." His debut production was Ibsen’s The Wild Duck (October 7, 1942). From then on, and throughout the following decades, alongside works by the great Tragedians and Aristophanes, Koun presented major playwrights on his stage: Shakespeare, Chekhov, Williams, Pirandello, Lorca, Miller, Ionesco, Beckett, Albee, and Pinter. He also contributed decisively to the promotion of Greek playwrights, such as Koromilas, Kapetanakis, and Xenopoulos, as well as younger writers: Kampanellis, Mourselas, Kehaidis, L. Anagnostaki, Skourtis, and Armenis.

He passed away in Athens on February 14, 1987.