Contents and Arrangement Collection View
Description:

This series consists of poetry, essays, articles, lectures, miscellaneous prose, and notes. Some of the works exist in numerous drafts, while others only appear in their final versions. Most of the poems belong to collections of poetry published between 1945 and 1997, but there are also a number of individual, unpublished poems. The majority of the articles have been cut from the newspaper Ta Nea, where they appeared between 1949 and 1974, and have been chronologically or thematically arranged by the author on pieces of paper. While the essays cover a wide range of subjects, the lectures are mainly about painters and general issues in fine arts. The miscellaneous prose and notes focus on art, but also include other subjects, such as Vakalo's travels, and an account of her thoughts and experiences on the first day of the dictatorship in Greece, 21 April 1967.

All the subseries are organized alphabetically by title or subject, with miscellaneous materials located at the end.

Description:

This series consists of letters sent to Vakalo by approximately 100 different people, including her husband, Giōrgos Vakalo, friends, and many prominent poets and artists. Also included are a few letters written by Vakalo to her husband, as well as one or two drafts of letters that were never sent. The bulk of the series consists of her correspondence with a few, very close friends, such as Manoles Anagnostakes and Nora Anagnostake. Vakalo corresponded with some of the most important poets and painters in post-war Greece, but also with a number of foreign writers, such as the poet Marianne Moore, whose poetry Vakalo had translated into Greek. The series also consists of topical correspondence, which contains official letters from embassies and organizations concerning Vakalo's travels abroad.

The correspondence within the two subseries is organized alphabetically by correspondent, with miscellaneous letters located at the end.

Description:

This series consists of official documents, contracts, certificates and CVs, as well as awards, honorary PhDs, and medals awarded to Vakalo. Also included is a symbolic object made of plaster that was given to Vakalo in an art exhibition during the time of the dictatorship in Greece. The red carnation on the object symbolizes the fight against the ideas embraced by the junta.

The two subseries are organized by material type and subject.

Description:

This series consists of notes, printed material, and correspondence concerning the Harvard International Seminar, which Vakalo attended in 1967, the Vakalo School of Arts, as well as several other projects, festivals, and meetings in which Vakalo took part between 1960 and 2000.

Both the Harvard and Radcliffe and Various Subjects subseries are organized chronologically, while the Vakalo School of Art subseries is organized alphabetically by subject.

Description:

This series consists of essays and articles about Vakalo, written by various authors, including many of her friends. Also included are several interviews with Vakalo.

This series is organized alphabetically by author, with miscellaneous materials located at the end.

Description:

This series consists of typed drafts, autograph manuscripts, and copies of published essays, articles, and poems by several of Vakalo's friends. Also included are works by the young poets that Vakalo encouraged.

This series is organized alphabetically by author, with miscellaneous material located at the end.

Description:

This series consists of assorted printed material, the majority of which relates to Vakalo.

This series is organized alphabetically by title, subject, or material type, with miscellaneous material located at the end.

Description:

This series consists of sketches of Vakalo and her family, assorted photographs, slides of Greek artifacts, and miscellaneous newspaper clippings.

Arranged by genre of material.

Description:

This series consists of photographs of Helenē Vakalo through the years including her photograph portrtaits, photographs with her friends, colleagues, artists, actors and actresses, academics, art critics, and politicians.

This series has been arranged thematically.

Scope and Contents

Consists primarily of papers by and relating to Helenē Vakalo, Greek art critic and poet (1921-2001). Included are published and unpublished works, with some in various stages of creation from sparse notes to the final version. The works consist of both individual poems and collections of poetry, as well as essays, articles, and lectures about poetry and art, and miscellaneous prose manuscripts and notes.

There is a large amount of both personal and topical correspondence from friends and prominent writers, many written in appreciation of her poetry, as well as letters exchanged between Vakalo and her husband, Giōrgos Vakalo. Also, the collection contains official documents, contracts, certificates, awards, and medals awarded to Vakalo, and subject files on various projects including the Harvard International Seminar and the Vakalo School of Arts. Furthermore, there is assorted printed material, the majority of which relates to Vakalo, photographs, and a few sketches, slides of Greek artifacts, and miscellaneous clippings.

Apart from Vakalo's own writings, the collection contains a selection of papers by others written about Vakalo, as well as papers by others on various topics. The authors include many friends of Vakalo, as well as the young poets that she encouraged.

Collection Creator Biography:

Vakalo, Helenē, 1921-

Helenē Vakalo was born in Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1921. She studied archaeology at the University of Athens, and after her graduation went to Paris, where she studied art history at the Sorbonne under Professor Sourriault. In 1944 she married the painter and stage designer Giōrgos Vakalo. Two years later she gave birth to Emmanuel George Vakalo. In 1945 Vakalo's first book of poetry was published under the title Theme and Variations [Thema kai Paralages]. It was, however, her fourth book of poems, The Forest [To Dasos], published in 1954, which brought her to the attention of the Greek literary circles. Until that time Vakalo was mostly known for her work in the field of art criticism. Since 1949 Vakalo worked as an art critic for the prominent newspaper Ta Nea. Her articles dealt with specific art exhibitions and contemporary artists, as well as with more general issues concerning the field of fine arts. These articles were highly esteemed and it was through them that the Greek public first learned to acknowledge the value of several artists who later became world-renowned. During her years at Ta Nea, 1952-1974, Vakalo was also regularly contributing essays and articles to numerous art and literary magazines.

In 1958, in collaboration with her husband and a group of other painters and art editors, Vakalo founded the Vakalo School of Decorative Arts, where she taught until 1990. Amidst her teaching, poetry writing, and work as an art critic, Vakalo was always eager to devote time to her studying. For this reason she made several trips abroad, the most important of which was her trip to the United States in 1967, where she participated in the Harvard International Seminar. Between 1945 and 1991, Vakalo wrote and published more than ten poetry collections as well as numerous books on art and art criticism. In 1991, her artistic contribution was officially recognized when she received the prestigious Greek State Poetry Award. It was also the year, however, of her husband's death. Giōrgos Vakalo had been seriously ill for a very long period during which Vakalo had stayed beside him, refusing several invitations to participate in events and poetry festivals in Greece and Europe.

During the following years, Vakalo's poetry became known to a wider public and her works were included in Greek and international literary anthologies. At the same time, her work began to be more systematically studied, and there were a number of doctoral dissertations that focused on her poetry. In 1997 Vakalo's final poetry collection, Epilegomena, was published; that same year, she won the Athens Academy Award. In 1998 the University of Thessalonike awarded Vakalo with an honorary doctorate degree for her contributions to the field of art criticism. Two years later, Vakalo was awarded a second honorary doctorate degree by the University of Derby in England in recognition of her contributions as a poet, art critic, and art historian. Also that same year her son Emmanuel George died of cancer at the age of fifty-four. Since 1971, Emmanuel had been a professor of architecture at the University of Michigan, and, after his death, the university established a fellowship fund in his name to support future doctoral students.

Vakalo died in Athens in 2001. Her poetry now constitutes part of the canon taught in Greek literature classes. She is remembered not only for her works, but also for her influence in the field of fine arts and her support for young artists and poets whom she inspired and encouraged throughout her long career.

Acquisition:

Donated by Helenē Vakalo to the Program in Hellenic Studies for Firestone Library. Ms. Kathleen Vakalo, the daughter-in-law of Vakalo, assisted in the transfer of the papers to Princeton.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Daphne Ypsilanti and Karla J. Vecchia in 2003. Finding aid written by Daphne Ypsilanti and Karla J. Vecchia in 2003. New materials were added in 2018, they were processed and described by Kalliopi Balatsouka in April 2022. Finding Aid was updated by Kalliopi Balatsouka in April 2022.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use.

Conditions Governing Use

The library and the Program in Hellenic Studies hold literary rights to the collection. Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, any copyright vested in the donor has passed to The Trustees of Princeton University and researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of donor-created materials within the collection. For materials in the collection not created by the donor, or where the material is not an original, the copyright is likely not held by the University. In these instances, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Helenē Vakalo Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/1z40ks827
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-22; B-001858