LIFE <http://www.ekathimerini.com/life> 07.08.2015Exhibition preserves
memory of ‘great spirit’ Anastasios AgathidisELIS KISS
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A 16th-century volume traces the history of religion – one of the first
ever editions to feature the “grecs du roi” typeface, ordered on behalf of
King Francis I of France – while another explores the colorful pavilions of
London’s 1862 International Exhibition in South Kensington. Both are part
of “Rare Books, Rare People: Anastasios Agathidis,” an exhibition going on
display in Prousos, Evrytania, central Greece, from August 10 to 23.
The exhibition showcases books, engravings and manuscripts, all bequeathed
to the community of Prousos by one of its most illustrious sons, classical
literature teacher and benefactor Anastasios Agathidis (1794-1881), and
will be on view at the library bearing his name.
While Agathidis’s initial donation comprised over 1,000 volumes, only about
300 volumes survive today. For several decades the donations served as a
wealthy source of learning for Prousos and the broader area. In recent
years, however, much of the collection suffered irreparable damage due to
neglect.
In the meantime, little is known about the life of the man whose bust
graces one of the village squares. Historian-biographer Leonie Thanasoula,
who organized the exhibition, hopes this will soon change.
What is known is that the benefactor was born Anastasios Kaperdas and was
later renamed “Agathidis” by his teachers because of his kind nature (in
ancient Greek “agathos” means good and noble). He spent 40 years in London,
where he tutored Greek statesman Charilaos Trikoupis and his sister,
Sophia, among other members of the city’s Greek diaspora.
“My forays into Prousos and by extension Agathidis show that changing your
point of view on a place or a situation can lead to something very
positive,” Thanasoula told Kathimerini English Edition. “In this case, it
was about using cultural heritage in a contemporary way – where others see
abandonment and a lack of prospects for the future.”
For the historian-biographer, who has family ties with Prousos, the
Agathidis project goes well beyond the August display: She was recently
awarded a scholarship from the British School at Athens to carry out
research on Agathidis, London’s 19th-century Greek diaspora and the history
of education in Greek and Britain in the same century.
“Agathidis’s life and work is a good example of the influence of the modern
Greek enlightenment because this is a unique case of a benefactor who did
not belong to the entrepreneurial world of his era,” noted Thanasoula.
“Meanwhile, the exhibition showcases the influence of Greek culture in the
development of Europe in general.”
Besides Agathidis’s book collection – mainly German titles – the Prousos
display presents three teaching volumes penned by the teacher himself – the
first, a textbook for schoolgirls learning Ancient Greek, was published in
1840, at a time when he was teaching at the Volmerange girls’ school in
Nafplio, in the Peloponnese.
The benefactor chose to be buried in the British capital, but his books
eventually arrived in Prousos with a caravan of mules, while the gold coins
he bequeathed the mountain village community were used for the construction
and maintenance of a school and the library.
“I was annoyed by the fact that all that was left of him was the name of
the library, a bust and 300 books for display,” said Thanasoula. “A
non-preservation of memory is the biggest loss when it comes to a great
spirit.”
--
June Samaras
2020 Old Station Rd
Streetsville,Ontario
Canada L5M 2V1
Tel : 905-542-1877
E-mail : june.samaras(a)gmail.com
--
June Samaras
KALAMOS BOOKS
(For Books about Greece)
2020 Old Station Rd
Streetsville,Ontario
Canada L5M 2V1
Tel : 905-542-1877
E-mail : kalamosbooks(a)gmail.com
www.kalamosbooks.com
http://kalamosb.alibrisstore.com/
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