The Deputy Ministry of Culture expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of Leonidas Malenis, an active member of the cultural life of our country for over half a century.
Leonidas Malenis was born in Nicosia in 1937. After graduating from the Pancyprian High School in 1955, he went to the USA to study in the field of Public Relations. Upon his return to Cyprus he worked as a journalist and in 1961 he was hired as an Assistant Cultural Officer at the Press Office of the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia. In 1962 he went to the United States where he attended special courses and returned to Cyprus where he continued his work at the American Embassy.
From 1960 to 1998 he worked with the Cyprus Radio and Television Foundation as a presenter of radio and television programmes, as an actor in radio broadcasts, as a scriptwriter, lyricist and translator of plays. From 1998 onwards, he worked with the television and radio of the private station "Antena".
Leonidas Malenis was an active member of many cultural institutions. He was secretary and president of the Cyprus Society of Playwrights, member of the Artistic Committee of the Cyprus Theatre Organisation and member of the Cultural Committee of the Municipality of Nicosia.
He was also very prolific in writing. He wrote poems, short stories, plays, articles, book and theatre reviews. Several of his poems were set to music by well-known composers such as George Kotsonis and George Theofanous.
His poem "Golden Green Leaf" was set to music by the great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis and has since been identified in the collective consciousness of all Hellenism with the history, fate and beauty of our homeland.
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