Literature

Although during their long rule the Venetians did not encourage the intellectual development of the Ionian people, many young men went to study at the Universities in Italy. A great number of Corfiots took an active interest in the promotion of education, among them were:

• The scholar and poet Antonios Eparchos (1491-1571).
• Father Nikolaos Sophianos who is known for his modern Greek Grammar and a number of translations of Greek classics into Modern Greek.
• Thomas Flanginis (1579-1648) who established in Venice a Greek School for teachers. The school functioned from 1665 to 1797, when Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Venice.
• The historian Andreas Marmoras (1618-1684) is remember as the author of the first history of Corfu.
• Evgenios Voulgaris (1716-1806) a philosopher and mathematician.
• Nikolaos Theotokis (1731-1800) scholar, theologian and mathematician. He was the first to introduce into Greece the study of mathematics and natural sciences.
• The writer and poet Marios Pieris (1776-1852).
• Nikolaos Delviniotis (1770-1850) he became famous for his Italian translation of Homer's Odyssey.
• Athanasios Politis established the first mutual school in Greece. Thanks to his efforts, elementary education was promoted in all the Corfu villages and in the other Ionian islands.
• Constantinos Zavitzianos (1810-1881) was a professor of medicine at the Ionian University and author of a number of medical works. He founded the first Greek private school for girls.

During the 19th century Corfu became the center of literary activity. The dominant personality of this movement was the lyric poet Dionysios Solomos. His works include the 'Hymn to Liberty', the first rhymes of which were adopted later as the National Anthem of Greece. In 1828 Solomos, who was born in Zacynthos, moved to Corfu where he remained until his death. The house where Solomos lived and died is situated in Arseniou street in Corfu town. It now houses a museum.

The movement known as the Corfu Literary School was initiated by the group of friends who gathered around Solomos. All of them were using the common language of the people in their works.

After the death of Solomos his entire work was collected and published by his closed friend Iakovos Polylas. The literary output of Polylas was including poetry, prose, historical research and translations of Homer's Odyssey and Illiad.

Another poet of the Corfu Literary Circle was Gerasimos Markoras.

George Kalosgouros, a friend of Polylas, is known mainly for his works of literary criticism and his translations.

Lorentzos Mavilis, another poet, studied literature in Germany. His main poetic work consists of fifty sonnets which are considered to be among the finest poetical works in Modern Greece. He also translated works by Schiller, Byron, Shelley and Tennyson and from Sanskrit.

Constantinos Theotokis another member of the Corfu Literary School was a novelist. Theotokis is considered the initiator of the social and naturalistic novel in Greece. He also translated into modern Greek, many works from Shakespeare.

The historian Andreas Moustoxydis is considered to be one of the pillars of historical research in modern Greece.

Petros Brailas-Armenis was a leading modern Greek philosopher. He studied in Italy and Paris before returning to Corfu where he practiced law. In 1848 he managed to make the Greek language the official language of the Ionian Government publications. In 1865 after union with Greece he served as Foreign Minister.

The historian and scholar John Romanos is well known for his historical works on medieval Corfu.

Another well known historian of this period was Spyridon Theotokis.

Andreas Andreades studied law at the University of Paris. After his return to Greece he was appointed Professor of Economics at the University of Athens. Its most famous work is the History of the Bank of England.

One can say that all those men were the main source from which letters and the arts began to flourish again in Greece.