The collection, which was donated to the Foundation by Emmanouel Kriaras himself, consists of approximately 2,000 volumes that belonged to him and his wife, Aikaterini Striftou. It mainly focuses on philology and includes studies on the Greek language, tributes to modern Greek scholars and writers, and a large number of literary works and periodicals. It is accompanied by part of his personal archive, primarily correspondence.
Part of the library of Professor Emmanuel Kriaras
Content
Number of items: 1.916
Biography
Emmanouel Kriaras (1906-2014) was a prolific researcher, professor of Medieval and Modern Greek Philology, as well as General and Comparative Literature. He was one of the most significant modern Greek scholars of the twentieth century. Initially starting in Medicine, he soon shifted to Philology and graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Athens in 1929. From 1930, he worked at the Medieval Archive of the Academy of Athens, first as a collaborator and, from 1939 to 1950, as its director. Concurrently, he pursued postgraduate studies in Byzantine Studies and Comparative Literature in Paris and obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Athens in 1938 with a thesis titled “Studies on the Sources of Erotokritos.”
Kriaras is closely associated with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where he primarily taught Medieval Philology, Modern Greek Philology, and General and Comparative Literature. Thanks to his efforts, the first chair of General and Comparative Literature was established there in 1965. He was a major advocate of the 1963 educational reform, contributing significantly to the recognition of Demotic Greek as the official language of the Greek state and the establishment of the monotonic system. His research and writing interests spanned a broad range related to the Greek language and literature, with his publications distinguished for their scope and validity. Notably, his “Dictionary of Medieval Greek Vernacular Literature,” also known as the Kriaras Dictionary, holds a special place.
He published articles and books on literature, epistolography, and linguistics and was honoured with awards and distinctions from the Greek, French, and Italian Republics. In 1977, he received the Herder Prize in Vienna for his overall scientific work. He served as an honorary president of numerous philological associations and institutions and was awarded the highest honorary distinction, the Golden Aristotle, by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2006.
In collaboration with the Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation, Emmanouel Kriaras edited and published the following books: “Psycharis, Especially from His Letters” (2012), “New Letters and Documents from 1924-2010” (2012), “Recent Letters of Mine to Individuals and Institutions” (2013), as well as the reprints “Apologos of Life: Supplement to the Autobiography,” “Letters from Psycharis’ Relatives to Me,” “Experiences from Giannis Miliadis and Critiques of His Literary Work,” “Chatzis Andreas Kriaras (The Sfakian Rebel of 1821, Shipowner, Organizer of Navigation in Syros),” and “Recent Observations on Misé-Yannis, Psycharis’ Grandfather,” which were published after his death in accordance with his instructions in 2016.