London, Thanasis Gavos

The permanent exhibition “George Seferis: the man, the poet, the diplomat” was launched on Tuesday evening in London by the Greek embassy in the British capital, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Prize for literature to the poet.

Following the initiative of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, 32 personal items related to G. Seferis from the collection of Anna Londos (ancestor and heir of George Seferis) and Nikolaos Paisios were initially donated to the Greek embassy.

These objects were placed in the office of George Seferis in the Greek embassy residence, where he worked while serving as the Greek ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1962.

The exhibition is divided into three sections, Seferis-man, Seferis-poet and Seferis-diplomat. Each section is supported by corresponding photographic material, typed and handwritten letters, memos and books.

An important place in the exhibition is the commemorative marble inscription dedicated to the poet Andreas Kalvos, who died in 1869 in Louth, eastern England and was buried in the cemetery of St. Margaret, of Keddington, Lincolnshire.

Giorgos Seferis, while serving as ambassador in London, undertook in 1960 the transfer of the bones of Kalvos to his hometown, Zakynthos, while in the same year he unveiled a marble inscription in honor of Kalvos, which is an exhibit of the Museum of Louth. This inscription, which is framed by relevant correspondence and articles of the time, will be exhibited for a period at the entrance of the embassy residence.

During the event, the Greek ambassador Yannis Tsaoussis spoke about Seferis himself and the exhibition, for which the goal is to open twice a month to the public, while he thanked all those who contributed to the realization of this exhibition, especially its President Democracy.

Special mention was made to the Diplomatic and Historical Archive Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Giorgos Seferis photographic archive of the National Bank’s Educational Foundation, the Gennadio Library of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens and ERT.

The announcement by the Greek ambassador regarding the opening of the “Roderick Beaton” Reading Room, in honor of the British academic and writer for his contribution to Greek culture and letters, was important. This space, adjacent to Seferis’ office, is to be enriched with books by Giorgos Seferis, Roderick Beaton, but also with books on modern Greek history and culture.

The recitation of the poem “Last Stop” – ‘Last Stop’ (Ultima Tappa), by the Head of the Press and Cultural Affairs Office of the Italian Embassy in London, Aurora Russi, moved the audience, as it was the poem written by the poet in October 1944, when he was in Salerno.

The video from the house of G. Seferis, on the day of the announcement of the Nobel Prize, as well as the video from the night of the award, were a special moment of the event, as was the audio document where the attendees heard the Greek poet recite himself the iconic poem “Helen”.

At the end of the event, all those present were given a guided tour of the permanent exhibition area.