Helene Glykatzi-Ahrweiler: The left is a way of life

She takes my call at her home in Paris. It's the first time she's ever agreed to a telephone interview, making an exception for Kathimerini. She cuts me off as I thank her: "Forget the thank-yous. We have a lot to talk about." Helene Glykatzi-Ahrweiler, 92, is a great Greek, a great woman and a great academic. A respected Byzantinologist, she was the first woman to serve as principal at the University of Sorbonne, was also principal at the University of Europe and president of the board at the European Cultural Center of Delphi, among other distinguished career milestones, and is passionate about history, which she often references in our discussion. "It is not history's duty to solve the problems of the future, but simply to remind us of the solutions that were chosen during similar situations. But history that teaches only one solution is a dangerous thing," she says.

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