Martha Vassiliadi

Martha Vassiliadi studied Modern Greek philology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and comparative literature at the Sorbonne and the University of Geneva. She taught at the University of Geneva and has been teaching at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki since 2011. Her research focuses on 19th- and 20th-century poetry, the reception of European myths in Greek literature, and myth criticism. She is a specialist in C. P. Cavafy, Decadent literature, and epistolography.

The project

Title: The world of French-speaking Neo-Hellenists

"This project examines the history and evolution of Modern Greek Studies in France, with a particular emphasis on the reception of the poet C. P. Cavafy within francophone intellectual and academic circles. While Cavafy’s international reputation has been extensively studied, his connections to the French scholarly world and the ways in which his work was interpreted and transmitted in France remain less explored. By focusing on this under-researched area, the project aims to shed new light on the role of French institutions and scholars in shaping the perception of modern Greek literature abroad. Central to the research will be the study of archival materials, notably the collections of Hubert Pernot and André Mirambel, which provide crucial insights into the development of Modern Greek Studies in France. These sources will be examined alongside other relevant archives, including the Yourcenar–Bernier collection in Lille, to reconstruct the networks that linked Greek and French intellectuals throughout the 20th century. Special attention will be given to the contributions of key figures such as Pernot, Mirambel, Constantin Dimaras, and Guy Michel Saunier, whose interventions played a decisive role in framing the academic and cultural reception of Cavafy."

Hosting institution: Sorbonne Université

Selective Bibliography

• Οι μυθολογίες της Σαλώμης (Les mythologies de Salomé), Athènes, Aiora Press, 2025, 180 p.
• «C.P. Cavafy in French Anthologies and the Power of Inclusion», Cavafy as World Literature, Takis Kagialis – Vicente Fernández González (ed.), Bloomsbury Academic, 2025 (312 p.)
• « La géographie poétique de Thessalonique : sur les traces d’une poésie urbaine » Cahiers Balcaniques, Hors Série 2025
• Constantin Cavafis, Notes de poétique et de morale, présentées par Georges P. Savvidis, traduites par Samuel Baud-Bovy et Bertrand Bouvier et publiées avec la collaboration de Martha Vassiliadi, Athènes, Aiora, 2016, 103 p.