The British ‘Soldier-Aesthete’ in Cyprus at the End of Empire: Durrell, Cardiff, Leigh Fermor, and Stark
This presentation examines how British cosmopolitan intellectuals—Lawrence Durrell, Maurice Cardiff, Patrick Leigh Fermor, and Freya Stark—engaged with Cyprus during the anticolonial revolt for union with Greece (1955–1959). Some of them had previously served the British state in wartime propaganda agencies such as the Special Operations Executive and the Ministry of Information. After the end of the Second World War, with the establishment of the British Council in Cyprus, these individuals—visiting as writers, civil servants, and cultural figures—continued to circulate through the island. Often acquainted through wartime ties and longstanding friendships, they operated under the British Council’s cultural umbrella, enabling unsupervised and discreet activity, largely unchallenged by the local population. Although their visits were mostly framed as cultural or personal, this presentation argues that these figures acted as (in)formal propagandists, engaging in information gathering and opinion shaping during a turbulent political period. Their ambivalent presence contributed to British efforts to manage perceptions and sustain imperial influence in Cyprus and the wider region. Drawing on primary material, this presentation brings to light a network of British ‘soldier-aesthetes’ whose cultural diplomacy and covert operations blurred the lines between work, art, travel, and empire at the twilight of British colonial rule.
All welcome- this event is free but booking is required.
This page was last updated on 12 May 2025
