In recent decades, millions of tourists from all over the world visit Greece every year. In fact, this tradition dates back a long time: in the 19th century, most European writers were part of the philhellenism movement that swept Europe during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottomans and immediately after.

What is so attractive about this small country in southeastern Europe, to the extent that many intellectuals not only took up the pen but sometimes even took up arms to defend it? A word equivalent to "philhellene", it is true, has not been created in French for any other people. So why is that? This question is answered by Jimmy Jamar, starting from his personal experience and giving voice to 14 personalities that cover a wide range of history, starting from Emperor Hadrian.

Among them, we find Jacqueline de Romilly, Marguerite Yourcenar, Jacques Lacarrière, as well as Byron, Lawrence Durrell, Henry Miller, Jules Dassin, and Leonard Cohen.

This research operates along two axes: why Greece? (What was the element that provoked their connection with it?); And, what exactly did they do to deserve the title of "Philhellene"?

THE AUTHOR Jimmy Jamar is a former senior official of the European Commission. Since the summer of 2019, he has been the director of Europa Nostra's Brussels office, an organization that promotes and defends Europe's cultural heritage. He has written, among other works, the books Lettres à Byron (2014, La Boite à Pandore) and Une année interminable. Chroniques européennes 2020 (2021, Marque belge).