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- Ελληνικά
The Deputy Ministry of Culture expresses its deepest sorrow for the death of the militant, writer and politician Petros Stylianou.
Petros Stylianou was born in 1933 in Kythrea and studied Greek Literature at the University of Athens. A philhellenic, agonistic and restless nature, he abandoned his studies - which he completed in 1972 - to participate in the 55-59 Liberation Struggle. He suffered years of persecution by the colonial regime. In August 1955 he was arrested and imprisoned in Kyrenia Castle, from where he escaped with other fellow fighters. In 1957 he was arrested and subjected to severe torture. He was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment in the Central Prison and then transferred to prisons in London and Kent, from where he was released in 1959, on the occasion of the declaration of Cyprus as an independent state. These key experiences, which mirror Cyprus and its struggles, are reflected in his work.
From various fronts he fought for the consolidation of lifelong learning, the creation of key cultural infrastructure projects, the preservation and promotion of our cultural heritage. From the benches of the Parliament and as Advisor to the President of the Republic, he proposed with scientifically substantiated techno-economic studies and promoted the establishment of the University of Cyprus. At the same time, he fought for the establishment of Greek schools in Great Britain, the establishment of evening high schools in Cyprus for working young people and the establishment of a State Archive. Among other things, he saved the House of Lipertis, and succeeded in saving the Mansion of Αξιοthea, which is now the Cultural Centre of the University of Cyprus.
He took initiatives and leadership positions in institutions aimed at promoting the rights of vulnerable groups of workers, the disabled, the incarcerated. He founded the Pancyprian Organisation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, in which he worked tirelessly and of which he was President for decades.
His writings number more than 160 books and more than a thousand articles, both literary and scientific. Characteristic is the context of 55,555 iambic fifteen-syllable verses, an epic poem that illustrates with reflection and poignancy the heroic defence and dramatic exit of Messolonghi, aspiring to express the struggle of those who oppose all forms of alienation and enslavement. Many of his works are based on lived experiences and the Liberation Struggle, such as the chronicle Dying for Greece, The Era of the Central Prisons. His predominantly historical book is The October and the 31st Uprising in Cyprus which was submitted and approved with distinction as a doctoral thesis at the University of Ioannina. It is the first pan-Hellenic scientific approach to the uprising with multidimensional archival and bibliographical documentation.
He has been honoured for his patriotic and intellectual contribution by the Ministry of Culture of Greece. In 2015 he was honoured by the Republic of Cyprus with the Award of Arts, Letters and Sciences. In 2023 he was honoured by the Philological Society "Parnassos" in Greece for his intellectual contribution and was made a member of the Society. On 5.2.2024, the Hellenic Spiritual Society of Cyprus and the Municipality of Kythrea honoured him for his intellectual and cultural contribution.
The loss of Petros Stylianou is great for the literature and intellectual life of Cyprus.
The Ministry of State expresses its sincere condolences to his family and relatives.
The funeral will be held at public expense on Tuesday 30 April, at 3:00 p.m. from the Church of St. Nicholas, in Egomi.
(EC)
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