Napoleon Terzis was born in Kormakitis in May 1916. After completing his studies at the English School in Nicosia, he was employed in the Department of Civil Aviation. He served in the Air Traffic Control Services, from which he retired with the title of Senior Air Traffic Controller.
He has always been deeply involved in the cultural issues of the Maronite community from which he originates. He served as a member of the “Lebanon Association” and later as a member of the “Kormakitis Association”. As part of this position he organized cultural events and theatrical performances, which he often directed or participated in. At the same time he was strongly involved in preserving the heritage of Kormakitis as a member of the NGO “Kormakitis Trust”.
Poetry has always been his great love. From a very young age he began writing in both modern Greek demotic and the Cypriot dialect as well as in Sanna — the Cypriot Maronite Arabic (CMA) language. A unique language that until recently was exclusively oral and, according to UNESCO, is among the world’s endangered languages.
His poem “I Remember” is the first example of written poetic expression in Sanna and served as the starting point for the preservation of this language.
He has participated in numerous television and radio programs, as well as poetry reading events.
