London, Thanasis Gavos
Honorary naturalization ceremony British academic Peter Mackridge took place on Thursday at the Greek embassy in central London.
The British Hellenist was honored for his contribution to the historical development of modern Hellenism but also for his contribution to a deeper understanding of modern Greek culture and its promotion in the international community.
Professor Mackridge taught Modern Greek Philology from 1973 to 1980 at King’s College London, and from 1981 he taught at the University of Oxford School of Medieval and Modern Languages, where he retired from 1996 until his early retirement in 2003. Of Modern Greek Philology, teaching Greek language, literature and history of culture.
In 2008 he was awarded the title of honorary doctor of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and in May 2017 he was named honorary professor of the University of Peloponnese.
His academic career has been identified with the Modern Greek Enlightenment and the modern Greek language. A prolific writer himself, with research in both prose and poetry, he touches on the issues of Greek culture through his books. “The modern Greek language”, “Language and national identity in Greece, 1766-1976,” Basic grammar of the modern Greek language “,” Grammar of the Greek language “are some of his books that have been published, while his contribution to the academic community through his articles in publications is equally important.
He has also translated many Greek texts into English, such as short stories by Alexandros Papadiamantis, George Vizyinos, Pantelis Prevelakis, but also poems by George Seferis, Aris Alexandrou and Titus Patrikios.
Accepting the honor from the Greek ambassador Ioannis Raptakis, Mr. Makritz told a story that had been told to him when he was a resident of the Seferis couple on Agras Street in Pagrati.
“At the beginning of 1961, Mikis Theodorakis came to this room and performed the poem ‘Sto perigiali to kryfo’ on the piano in front of the Seferis couple. As Maro told me, in the beginning, the couple did not like the composition at all, not only because the composer had removed the colon in the verse ‘we took our lives; wrong’, but also when Theodorakis started talking about bouzoukis, they roared. But I’m sure it became one of the most popular Greek songs. The song had not been recorded at that time. “Seferis was called Seferiadis and Maro, my landlady Maria Seferiadis”.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
