Grigorios Zalykis

Grigorios Zalykis (Greek: Γρηγόριος Ζαλύκης; French: Grégoire Zalykis) was a Greek scholar, writer and diplomat. He was born in Thessaloniki in 1785 and died in Paris at 4 of October, 1827. He was the founder of the "Greek-speaking Hotel", Hellenoglosso Xenodocheio, a secret organization established in 1809 in Paris to assist Greeks against the Ottoman rule.

Biography

His father was Georgios Zalykis, and sometimes he was called with the usual Ottoman ending "oglu", as Zalykoglous (Zalykis' son). After he studied at the schools of his hometown, he went to Bucharest, as he was attracted by the famous academic Lampros Fotiadis. With this great scholar, Grigorios Zalykis consummated to Greek and Latin literature.

In 1802, the potentate of Walachia, Skarlatos Kallimachis sent him to Paris for political issues. He settled there, he became Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier's secretary, helping him at publication of his classical book "Voyage pittoresque en Grèce". Zalykis wrote two dictionaries, one in French and one in modern Greek.

Zalykis was the founder of "Greek-speaking Hotel", Hellenoglosso Xenodocheio (Ελληνόγλωσσο Ξενοδοχείο), secret organization established in 1809, a precursor of Filiki Eteria in mobilization of the Greeks against the Ottoman rule.

At 1816, he became the first secretary of the Ottoman embassy in Paris. He stood there until 1820. Then he went back in Bucharest. After the uprising of the Greek War of Independence, he went to Transilvania and then in Bessarabia when he wrote (1822) the book "Dialogue about the Greek revolution"

Then he went to Saint Petersburg, when he met emperor Alexander I of Russia and he took important financial help. Going back to Paris he developed brain fever and finally died at 4th of October, 1827.

Books

• Dictionary of French language, Paris, 1809 (republished in 1815 in Venice with the supervision of Vlantis Spyridonos).
• About the social treat, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's book, translated by Grigorios Zalykis and published with comments by Konstantinos Nikolopoulos, funded by Zalykis' widdow, Paris 1828
• Dialogue about the Greek revolution", edited with comments by Agathon Lakedaemonios, Paris 1828

Sources

• Konstantinos Spathas, Modern Greek Literature. Biographies of Famous Greek Scholars (1453-1821), Athens 1868, p. 685

Further reading

• Constantinidi-Bibicou H., 1953. « Les Origines du philhellénisme français », L’Hellénisme Contemporain, VII/3, pp. 248-265
• Tziatzios E.St., 1939. Le Macédonien Grégoire Zalikis et la société révolutionnaire “Hôtel Hellénophone”, III/1, pp. 68-76, et III/2-3, pp. 89-101.