Honorary Doctorate of the Department of Philology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki will be awarded to David W. Holton, Professor Emeritus of the University of Cambridge, on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 18.00, in the Ceremonial Hall “Alexandros Papanastasiou” of the Old Faculty of Philosophy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The Department of Philology unanimously decided to award the title of Honorary Doctorate to Mr. David W. Holton, “an eminent European scholar of the 20th and 21st century, who has devoted his entire scientific activity to the study and teaching of Modern Greek literature and language and who has dedicated his entire professional and scientific life to the study and dissemination of Modern Greek language and literature“, according to the rationale of the decision of the Department.

A Short Bio

David W. Holton is Professor Emeritus of the School of Medieval and Modern Languages and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge, where he taught Modern Greek literature and language from 1981 to 2013 – since 2006 at the rank of Professor. He studied, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, at the University of Oxford (1964-1971), and was a Greek Government Scholar for a year at Aristotle University.

He is one of the most prominent contemporary modern Greek philologists and linguists with a decisive contribution to the study of the popular literature – and in particular the works of the Cretan Renaissance – and to the writing of grammars, both of medieval Greek and of modern Greek. Under his supervision, 16 doctoral dissertations were completed on medieval and modern Greek literature. In 2019 he was honoured by the Region of Crete for his contribution to Cretan Studies.