The announcement of the Nobel Prize to G. Seferis – photographs of the historic moment

It was October 24, 1963, when a telegram arrived at the home of poet George Seferis from the Swedish Academy, announcing that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. "I hope you will have the opportunity to come with Mrs. Seferis to Stockholm on December 10 to receive the prize," said Dr. Andrius Estering, chairman of the Nobel Committee, in his message.

Crowds rushed to 20 Agras Street in Pagrati to congratulate the poet, while telegrams from all over the world arrived with messages of admiration for his work. In his statements to journalists, G. Seferis shared his first thoughts after the announcement of his award:

"As an individual, one accepts it calmly. But when one thinks of it as a Greek, one is moved. This selection demonstrates the Swedish Academy's desire to demonstrate that humanity needs poetry more than ever, and especially the spirit that Greece represents. The world today really needs humanity and poetry so that it does not become what we commonly refer to as robot."

Seferis prevailed among 80 candidates, including Jean-Paul Sartre, Pablo Neruda, and Samuel Beckett, further highlighting the significance of the award. He was also the first Greek to be honored with a Nobel Prize, "for his magnificent lyrical style, inspired by a deep feeling for the Greek cultural ideal," as stated in the official announcement by the Swedish Academy. He was followed by Odysseas Elytis in 1979, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and Christoforos Pissarides in 2010, who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

The Telecommunications Museum has in its collection (Floros Brothers Archive – Nikos L. Floros) two telephotographs from that historic day, showing George Seferis – alone and with his wife, Maro – in his home office, holding congratulatory telegrams.