Dr. Constantine Christofides assembled a rare collection of Modern Greek poetry books which his wife Koren has now donated to the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture. Photo: Courtesy of the Christofides Family
The National Herald | 3/30/2021
The UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture (UCLA SNF Hellenic Center) has received a rare collection of Modern Greek poetry books from Koren Christofides, wife of scholar Constantine Christofides, who assembled the library.
“On behalf of the Center, we warmly thank Koren Christofides for the generous donation of an outstanding collection of Greek poetry books that represent the broad intellectual interests of her husband,” said Sharon Gerstel, Director of the UCLA SNF Hellenic Center, professor of Byzantine Art and Archaeology, and George P. Kolovos Family Centennial Term Chair in Hellenic Studies. “It is an honor to house Dr. Christofides’ collection in our Center’s library. Scholars, students, and the overall Southern California community will have the opportunity to use these exceptional books.”
Koren Christofides commented: “As an Alexandrian Greek, it was natural that Constantine Christofides’ passion for modern Greek Poetry would begin with Cavafy. Over many years, as we passed more and more time in Greece, his love for this poetry extended to Seferis and Ritsos, from Elytis to Sikelianos. He often remarked that the highest contributions to humanism and humanity, from the tragedians of antiquity to modern poetry, came from the Greeks.
“I know that my husband would have found the UCLA SNF Hellenic Center to be the perfect home for his library. The brilliance found in these collected works will now live on in the hearts and minds of so many others in all the years to come.”