Dr John Kittmer, British Ambassador to Greece from 2013 to 2016 and passionate Hellenist left the British Diplomatic Service in 2017 to complete his PhD on the Greek poet Yannis Ritsos at King’s College London. He learned ancient Greek at school, and studied Classics at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, while he obtained an MA in Modern Greek Studies in 2007 at King’s College London. After completing his PhD in 2019 Dr Kittmer is now working on several publications based on his doctoral researches. He is also Chair of The Anglo-Hellenic League, a charity dedicated to the promotion of friendship and understanding between Britain and Greece, and a Member of the Board of Okeanis Eco Tankers.
Last February Dr Kittmer, who is a fluent speaker of Greek, was in Athens to give a lecture titled ‘Anglo-Hellenism: Adventures in Cultural Exchange’ -organised in collaboration with the Centre for Hellenic Studies, King’s College London in honour of Niki Marangou- where he spoke in Greek about the powerful cultural and educational bonds between Britons and Greeks. [A full video-recording of this lecture can be found here].
Dr Kittmer recently spoke to Greek News Agenda* about his admiration for the ancient and Modern Greek literature, his impressions of Greece as a British Ambassador, the role of social media in cultural diplomacy and the future of anglo-hellenic cultural exchanges. Dr Kittmer has a personal Twitter account (@JohnKittmer) and a blog titled “ανταποκρίσεις-correspondences” writing in English or Greek about the things that interest him, including his academic studies, his charity work and the maritime sector.