Adamantios Korais and Thomas Jefferson correspondence translated into Greek

Important historical documents that are largely unknown to the general public, the letters exchanged by Adamantios Korais and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson between 1823-25, have been translated and published in Greek for the first time.

Korais was a major figure of the Greek Enlightenment and helped pave the way for the Greek Revolution of 1821, while Jefferson was the author of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The letters were languishing, largely forgotten, at the U.S. Library of Congress and their translation coincides with the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence that led to the foundation of the modern Greek state.

According to historians of the period, the correspondence between the two men is some of the most important evidence concerning the theory of political freedom developed in the 19th century and the translation by Professor Pericles Vallianos has been published by the Athens Review of Books.

The translation will also be published as a book, along with other material that helped galvanise support for the Greek cause in the American public, the editor of the “Review” Manolis Vasilakis revealed.

READ MORE: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center: Athens’ Modern Revolutionary Landmark.