Part of the library of philosopher Kostas Axelos

Costas Axelos (1924-2010), a philosopher and professor of philosophy, renowned for his significant contributions in France, stands as one of the foremost modern Greek intellectuals. Born in Athens, he initially pursued studies in Law at the University of Athens, yet the upheaval of war steered him towards politics. Actively engaged in the Resistance from 1941 to 1945, Axelos was a leader, journalist, and theoretician within the communist movement. He notably participated in the December 1944 events, enduring arrest, imprisonment and torture. Condemned to death by a military court of the government and subjected to a mock execution, he endured incarceration and eventual escape. Despite his earlier political involvement, Axelos withdrew from active politics in 1945, leading to his expulsion from the ranks of the Greek Communist Party.

With assistance from Octavius Merlier, then director of the French Institute in Athens, Axelos embarked on the legendary ship Mataroa bound for Paris at the end of 1945, where he established permanent residence. Continuing his intellectual pursuits, he studied philosophy at the Sorbonne, successfully defending two doctoral theses: “Marx the Thinker of Technique” and “Heraclitus and Philosophy.” He held positions as a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research and the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Practical School of Higher Studies). Axelos also imparted his knowledge as a philosophy lecturer at the Sorbonne, collaborated with and eventually directed the journal Arguments, and founded and oversaw the eponymous series at Editions de Minuit, where many of his own works were published.

Axelos authored a multitude of books translated into sixteen languages, earning him international acclaim. He received an honorary Doctorate of Philosophy from the University of Ioannina and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).