Xavier Bordes, French translator of Elytis leaves an important archive to the Gennadius Library
Jack Davis receiving from Antonis Samaras, President of Nea Demokratia, the papers of Xavier Bordes, who is visible at the right end of the photo.
Xavier Bordes, French poet and translator, made an important gift to the Archives of the Gennadius Library in December 2011. Bordes undertook in 1979 the translation of Odysseus Elytis’ poetry in collaboration with R. Longueville. Educated in music and classics Bordes had a career as a teacher and literary critic. He also collaborated with major publishing houses in France like Gallimard. The first translated work to be published was Marie de Brumes in 1982, “a true tour de force” in Elytis’ own words. In addition to extensive correspondence between Elytis and Bordes (1981-1995), the collection also contains photographs of Elytis, audio tapes, and some press clippings. See also Archives of the Gennadius Library