Χρήστης:Σωτήριος Μπουρδούκης/πρόχειρο

The Corfu Reading Society is the oldest intellectual institution in Greece, with uninterrupted operation since 1836. It acquired a social, educational, political and patriotic character, occupying an important role in the intellectual and social life of the Ionian area, as it was born through the liberal Western European perceptions of early 19th century and the emerging common European concept. Its members included Dionysios Solomos, Andreas Kalvos, Iakovos Polylas, Lorentzos Mavilis, Konstantinos Theotokis and many other prominent personalities of Corfu during the last two centuries. From the beginning of the 20th century it is housed in a privately owned emblematic two-storey building of the 18th century on the eastern front of the old town of Corfu. It has a rich specialized and constantly enriched library (over 35,000 volumes, including rare editions of the 16th-19th centuries), as well as unique collections of various archival items (manuscripts, maps, newspapers, works of art, photographs). Corfu Reading Society has been publishing the scientific magazine "Bulletin of the Corfu Reading Society" since 1969. At the same time, he publishes other works related to the Ionian. Maintains relations with Greek and international intellectual institutions, as well as with the academic community. Today it has about 450 members and is overseen by an Administrative Committee that is elected every two years.

Objectives

Its objectives are:

To research, promote and disseminate all aspects of the Heptanesian cultureτην,
To further organise and enrich its specialised library and its collections,
To host scientific conferences, lectures, concerts, exhibitions and educational programmes,
To preserve and digitise rare editions and its unique archival material,
To disseminate knowledge to the global research community and to approach young people through modern multimedia,
To promote relationships with academia and other similar institutions in Greece and abroad.

Main Areas of Activity

The Corfu Reading Society is a unique institution in Greece. This is due to the historic circumstances that shaped its first years, linking it to similar reading societies in Italy and western Europe. Its distinctive character is also the result of the fact that it never suspended its operation, according it a key position in the island’s cultural scene.

Today the Society remains faithful to its initial liberal principles that have underlined its outlook since its inception. It relies on its hundreds of members and plans its actions according to their social relevance aiming to cover a wide range of interests.
Many of its initiatives are targeted at a younger audience: educational programmes and activities take place either on the grounds or on the web. These aim to support teachers and educators throughout the educational system in ways that are both interesting and enjoyable.
The Society aims to attract new research fellows. Its rare archival material and its unique Ionian book collection are open to academic staff of the University departments in Corfu, as well as researchers from all over the world. Moreover, the Society participates in collaborative research projects which further the documentation and assist the interconnectivity of its collections..
Finally, the Society is open to those who wish to explore its historic premises. The beautiful 18th century building which houses its headquarters has retained the atmosphere of a literary club where one is encouraged to admire paintings, rare documents and books from the Society’s collections.

In the above context, the D.E. of the Reading Society, with its intense awareness and great worry for the rescue and promotion of its archival wealth, on the one hand continues its established activities, on the other hand develops new ideas, which are designed around the aforementioned four main axes, which often overlap and complement each other.

Establishment and Operations

The Corfu Reading Society was established by fourteen young Corfiots, intellectuals of the urban class that had recently returned from their studies in French and, mostly, Italian Universities. Influenced by similar Western-European societies (e.g. the Societé de Lecture de Genève), they aimed at imparting the new intellectual and political trends to their homeland, which at the time were mainly disseminated via the printed wordΤhe initial objective of the Reading Society’s establishment was to collect as many and as varied published works as possible: newspapers, scientific journals and books from various European centres, and provide access to them on its premises.

The Corfu Reading Society was from the beginning a club with a social, educational, political and patriotic character. In fact, its patriotic role stands out as it supported the union of the Ionian islands with Greece. It must be reminded that Corfu was, at the time, the capital of the United States of the Ionian Islands (the Ionian State), which was under British “Protection” (1814-1864). Only 15 years earlier, the Greek War for Independence against the Ottoman rule had erupted, which after ten years of fierce struggle, led to the creation of the independent Greek state (1831).

It is also noteworthy that in 1824 in Corfu, due to the efforts and the perseverance of Lord Frederic North, Earl of Guilford, a great philhellene, the Ionian Academy was established, i.e the first Greek university, which contributed substantially to the cultivation of the Greek identity. The first Chairman of the Reading Society was Petros Vrailas-Armenis, who later became Professor of Philosophy in the Ionian Academy, denoting the close relationship between the two institutions.

It is also noteworthy that in 1824 in Corfu, due to the efforts and the perseverance of Lord Frederic North, Earl of Guilford, a great philhellene, the Ionian Academy was established, i.e the first Greek university, which contributed substantially to the cultivation of the Greek identity. The first Chairman of the Reading Society was Petros Vrailas-Armenis, who later became Professor of Philosophy in the Ionian Academy, denoting the close relationship between the two institutions. After all, many personalities that lived in Corfu were members of the Society, including Dionysios Solomos – our national poet, Andreas Kalvos – a significant poet and professor at the Ionian Academy, Viaros Kapodistrias and his brother Augustinos Kapodistrias, Niccolò Tommaseo, Metropolitan Athanasios Politis, poet Gerasimos Markoras, Iakovos Polylas – writer and the first translator of the works of Homer and Shakespeare into modern Greek, Lorentzos Mavilis – a war hero and a poet, Georgios Theotokis – who later became Prime Minister of Greece, Angelos Giallinas – the famous Greek water colourist, Dinos Theotokis – the significant writer, the Metropolitan and later Ecumenical Patriarch Athinagoras, and many others. Upon the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, the political and intellectual activity of these men was transferred to Athens, the capital of the Greek state. Thus, worthy and active members fought for the liberation of other areas still under foreign rule, while since 1891, women were elected as members of the Society as well.

Throughout the 19th century, the Reading Society did not have a permanent residence. In 1921 it was lodged in the former residence of the German merchant Martin Felsch, a building typical of the Venetian period, with 19th century additions, which became the property of the Society in 1928. During the first decades of the 20th century, the Reading Society undoubtedly continued to play a significant role in the social and intellectual life of Corfu, constantly enriching its library and its collection of works of art, intervening in the political and social matters, establishing circles of intellectual activities, and in general, bringing the Corfiots closer to the local, Greek and European developments.

World War II inhibited the course of the Society. The building was requisitioned by the Italian occupation army and was bombarded, although not greatly damaged. Upon liberation, it was soon restored, owing to the hard work of the very active members and administrations, and the Corfu Reading Society gradually restored its dynamic role in the Corfiot affairs.

Kostas Nikolakis-Mouchas played a decisive role in the revitalisation of the Reading Society. He was the chairman with the longest term of service (1969-1987) and he published, inter alia, the Corfu Reading Society Bulletin. During his chairmanship, the collections of the Reading Society were enriched with printed and archival material, as well as art collections. Some examples are the acquisition of the significant library of Stefanos (Nakis) Pieris, a collection of 8,500 volumes, among which many unique documents, the purchase of a substantial part of the Guilford Archive (including mainly records regarding the establishment of the Ionian Academy), which was acquired by the Reading Society at an auction in London in the early 1980s, owing to the contribution of Greek shipowners in London (the Vlassopoulos family, Tryfon Kedros, Georgios Chatzantonakis, Georgios Lemos, Ioannis Chatzipateras).

In 1978, the Corfu Reading Society received an Academy of Athens award, a token of its shine and wide recognition in Greece “for its constant efforts, for over one hundred and forty years, to promote the Heptanesian studies and the education of the young people”. In the last two decades, the Corfu Reading Society received important donations, which allowed the modernisation of its structures. The most recent great benefactors include: the Niarchos Foundation, the Leventis Foundation, Mr. George David, Mrs. Alexandra Vovolinis-Laskaridis, Mr. Kostis Drakopoulos and Mr. Vasilis Drakopoulos, the Bodossaki Foundation, the Latsis Foundation, the Gnosis Foundation, the National Bank of Greece, the late Rene Anagnostou, Bruno Pacor, Nikolaos Papakostopoulos, and Alice Padova. Our work has been systematically and generously supported by our great benefactor Mr. Spiro Flamburiari.

The Building

According to the article by Aphrodite Birbili^[1] , the building in which the Reading Society is housed is located in one of the best places in the city, which allows its emergence, at the corner of today's Kapodistriou and Sophocleous Dousmani streets, at the base of its hill Καμπιέλου. Its main face has an unobstructed view to the Ionian Sea, while the side faces a plateau - one of the rare in the city -, which characterizes the beginning of the uphill road Sophocles Dousmani.

The current building consists of two united houses that were independent, until 1767-1770, were located on two different building blocks and were separated from the current Vouthrotou Street, which ended at Sofokleous Dousmani Street. This is confirmed both by the current structure of the ground floor and by the map of the city of the 18th century. The two buildings were united and formed a single house - after 1767-1770 and until the middle of the 19th century - with the addition of probably one more floor, either as a whole or only in the western part, while occupying part of the road between them. This possibility is enhanced by the location and support of the internal communication staircase between the first and second floor.

The two buildings appear joined in Edward Lear's perspective sketch, with three floors and a large doorway in place of the street between them, ie in a shape approximately similar to the current one. The building in its final form is developed on three levels with an area of approximately 300 sq.m. The main entrance remained that of the first floor of the east building, through the external stone staircase, located approximately centrally on the facade. For the communication of the two buildings, two doors were opened, in the same axis with the main entrance, in the corridor of this floor, where the internal staircase was built. Although we do not know the original use of the space, the exterior chimney shown in Lear's design on the side may indicate that the kitchen of the house once existed there.

Based on the proposal that was implemented to a significant extent, certain openings on the ground floor were remodeled or constructed from the beginning. The balcony was widened and housed with a triple roof that was a continuation of the roof of the building and which was supported by two pillars at the ends and two Tuscan columns in the center, over which a kind of unorthodox triangle was formed. Based on the proposal that was implemented to a significant extent, certain openings on the ground floor were remodeled or constructed from the beginning. The parapet was finally made of a series of balusters. The arch of the first floor was reconstructed from reinforced concrete and the accentuated keys of the arches were removed, while four pillars were placed under the prominent balcony on the axes of the supports of the gallery. This form was maintained by the building until the 1980s, when a new operation restored its facade to the form it had in the 19th century, according to Lear's design.

Library

The Corfu Reading Society has a rich, specialised and constantly growing library (more than 35,000 volumes), which reflects the intellectual interests of its members. It includes some unique book collections and other archival material, dated from the 16th century to-date. The crown jewel of the library is the Heptanesian book collection, which comprises 8,000 volumes revolving around various aspects of the Ionian Islands.

It also includes:

A substantial number of rare newspapers (220 titles) of the 19th and 20th centuries of more than 20,000 issues in total.
A remarkable number of rare maps and archival collections dated from the 16th until the 20th century.
A collection of approximately 1,000 single-sheet prints dated from the end of the 18th century until the early 20th century.

All this material is accessible for research in the Society’s reading room, which is open to the public. Moreover, researchers from all over the world can have web access to the library.

The Library Catalogue comprises 7,000 items so far, accessible through the openABEKT online platform of the National Documentation Centre. The retrospective cataloguing and the integration of older catalogues is in progress.

Collections

The Corfu Reading Society has a remarkable number of collections and other material, mainly acquired through donations of its members and friends, covering a wide range of interests. More precisely it includes Rare Editions, Arcives, Photographs, Record Collection, Press and Works of Art.

Publications

The Corfu Reading Society, during the last fifty years, has developed a remarkable publishing activity that focuses on the study and promotion of Ionian culture.

Its first systematic publishing effort started in 1969, with the annual “Bulletin of the Corfu Reading Society”, which, today, counts a total of over 50 volumes (Bulletins, monographs, and collective works), covering a wide range of research interests.

References

Agoropoulou-Birbili^[1], Aphrodite (2006). Corfu Reading Society. Corfu: Corfu Reading Society. pp. 83-92. ISBN 960-87179-1-4.

Bibliography

Dimitriou, G. (2018). Reading companies: the case of the Corfu reading society.
Bobou-Stamati, B. (1995). The Guilford Library in Corfu (1824-1830). The Gleaner, 20, 97–162. https://doi.org/10.12681/er.243

External links

Audiovisual material

Corfu Reading Society (Guided Tour by Γ. Πιέρη)

↑ ^1,0 ^1,1 Agoropoulou-Birbili

[:0-1] 1,0 ^1,1 Agoropoulou-Birbili

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