Two hundred years on from his death at Messolonghi in Greece, on 19 April 1824, the reputation and allure of Lord Byron show no signs of diminishing. He surely remains by quite some margin the most important figure in the history of modern British-Greek relations. In this panel event, consisting of individual papers and an expert discussion, we examine Byron’s Hellenism, consider his final, fateful activities in Greece, and take a glance at his legacy in Greece.
There will be three illustrated talks:
Dr. Jennifer Wallace, Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. ‘“Where’er we tread, ‘tis haunted, holy ground’: Following Byron’s Footsteps Into Greece”
Prof. Roderick Beaton, King’s College London. “Byron’s 100 Days at Missolonghi”
Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri, University of Aberdeen. “Lord Byron’s Hellenic afterlife: Misconceptions and idealization”
The expert discussion, including all three speakers, will be chaired by Prof. David Ricks. There will be an opportunity for audience Q&A in the closing part of the discussion.
Up to 80 places are available. Entrance is free but registration in advance of the event is necessary. To register your place, please click on the following link and complete the registration form:
https://www.simpletix.com/e/lord-byron-and-the-spirit-of-anglo-helleni-tickets-161093
The event will not be recorded. A wine reception will follow the panel discussion. The event is expected to conclude at 9.15pm.
Notes on the panel
Jennifer Wallace studied both Classics and English Literature as an undergraduate at Cambridge and she continues to combine the two disciplines in her writing and research. Her published books include Shelley and Greece: Rethinking Romantic Hellenism(1997), Digging the Dirt: The Archaeological Imagination (2004), The Cambridge Introduction to Tragedy (2007), The Oxford History of Classical Reception in English Literature 1790-1880 (2015) and Tragedy Since 9/11: Reading a World Out of Joint(2019), as well as her novel Digging Up Milton (2015). She has served on the jury of the London Hellenic Prize since 2010 and on the production committee of the triannual Cambridge Greek Play since 2001. Dr Wallace is Harris Fellow and Director of Studies in English Literature at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge.
Roderick Beaton took a first degree in English Literature at Cambridge, followed by a doctorate in Modern Greek. For thirty years until 2018 he held the Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King’s College London, and is now Emeritus. He is a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), Commander of the Order of Honour of the Hellenic Republic, and an honorary citizen of Greece. He is the author of Byron’s War: Romantic Rebellion, Greek Revolution (2013); Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation (2019); and The Greeks: A Global History (2021).
Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri is a PhD candidate in Intellectual History at the University of Aberdeen and a parliamentary researcher in the UK House of Lords. His research focuses on Edmund Burke's philosophical contributions and the influence of classical education and philosophy during the eighteenth century. Ioannes has contributed research articles and book reviews to prestigious international peer-reviewed journals, including the European Journa of the History of Economic Thought, Parliamentary History, Journal of Eighteenth-Century Studies and the Byron Journal. He is also the author of the book "Romanticism in Power: Aspects of Lord Byron's Political Opinions and His Role in the Greek Revolution," published by Armos Publications in 2022.
David Ricks is Professor Emeritus at King’s College London and Editor of the journal Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies. He has written about Anglo-Hellenic connections in such modern poets as Tennyson, Cavafy, Capetanakis, and MacNeice.