Patroklos Stavrou a great Cypriot patriot

Sir,
I was saddened to read the article ‘The battle for a literary genius’ by Elias Hazou (Sunday Mail, September 16, 2007). I first met Patroklos Stavrou in 1977 while visiting the President, Archbishop Makarios. He impressed me as an intelligent and studious person. I was amazed at his political astuteness and his complete devotion to the President and Cyprus.

The next time I met Mr. Stavrou was when he accompanied Ms. Eleni Kazantzakis to a symposium hosted by California State Senator Nick Petris in Oakland, California. Sen. Petris asked Governor Brown to welcome Ms. Kazantsakis to California, suggesting that she be awarded the Seal of the State of California. At that time, I was a Commissionaire for The State Historical Resources Commission, and being of Cypriot descent, the Governor asked me to represent him and award Ms. Katzanzakis the Seal.
During the ceremonies I had a chance to meet and speak extensively with Ms. Kazantzakis and ask her why Mr. Stavrou was accompanying her. Her first comment was that Mr. Stavrou was one of the few scholars of her husband’s works and that he was like a son to her and her trusted interpreter. I remember congratulating Mr. Stavrou and, as the Chief of Language Services of California, I awarded him the certificate of an Honorary Interpreter.

During my subsequent visits to Cyprus, I had a chance to visit with Mr. Stavrou and appreciate him not only as a great Cypriot patriot but one who influenced me to read all the works of the literary genius that was Kazantzakis. In conclusion, I believe that Mr. Stavrou is an honorable man who served his country and Ms. Kazantzakis in an exemplary manner.

Steve C. Kemiji PhD, America

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.