Lazarus Guestbook

Joachim Henning

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:15:53 +0000

Auf diesem Weg übermittle ich meine tief empfundene Trauer um Ihor Ševčenko insbesondere in Erinnerung an unsere inspirierenden Gespräche in Harvard 2002 und 2005. Meine Ausgrabungen zur slawischen Archäologie Ostmitteleuropas und zur mittelbyzantinischen Periode in Südosteuropa (Pliska) haben davon profitieren dürfen.

Jeffrey Hamburger

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:50:58 +0000

On behalf of the Medieval Studies Committee at Harvard University, I write to express our condolences to Prof. Ihor Ševčenko, who for so many decades was both a warm and imposing presence in our midst. He will be sorely missed by students and colleagues alike.

Bob Ousterhout

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:02:55 +0000

My first encounter with Ihor occurred long ago when I was just a student at a
Byzantine Studies Conference. I remember the sheer terror I felt when he told me he was looking forward to my paper. I knew he wasn't just being polite, and somewhere in the Q&A he produced an unpublished, dated inscription, as well as two comments and a query. For the American Byzantinists, Ihor kept us on our toes; he kept us honest; and he kept us aware of how much was still out there to be discovered. He has been the senior Byzantinist as long as I've been in
the field, and it's hard to imagine Byzantine Studies without him.

Stephen W. Reinert

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:03:40 +0000

My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Professor Sevcenko, on his passing. This was truly a "scholar's scholar," whose work on so many fronts will continue to be studied with profit and admiration, generations from now. In truth, he combined the historical and intellectual vision of both "the hedgehog" and "the fox," though professing kinship with the former. It is always a pleasure to read, and reread, whatever he wrote.

Günter Prinzing

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:27:05 +0000

In der Trauer um Professor Ihor Sevcenko fühlen sich die Mitglieder der "Deutschen Arbeitsgemeinschaft zur Förderung Byzantinischer Studien" seiner Familie und den amerikanischen Kolleginnen und Kollegen verbunden. Der Tod dieses herausragenden Gelehrten und faszinierenden Menschen ist für die internationale Byzantinistik (unter Einschluß der slavischen Studien) ein überaus schmerzlicher Verlust. Wir werden Professor Sevcenko durch das Studium und die Pflege seines Werkes stets ein ehrendes Andenken bewahren.
Für den Vorstand: Günter Prinzing.

Maria Leontovitsch Manley

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:19:37 +0000

I worked as Prof. Shevchenko's secretary in the early seventies at Dumbarton Oaks. He was at that time head of Byzantine Studies and was recently married to Nancy and they had a baby girl. They lived in the house on S Street. My job consisted in typing from recorded notes he had made on a trip to Turkey. I remember it was sometimes very difficult to hear, the recording wasn't very clear but he was very patient and said just do the best you can. I also recall my job interview with him. When he saw my maiden name he immediately recalled My father's work: Victor Leontovitsch, Die Rechtsumwaelzung unter Iwan dem Schrecklichen. I will try to find his translation into Ukrainian of Animal Farm.

Nino Luraghi

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:42:38 +0000

Fare well, Maestro. sttl

Elizaveta Strakhov

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:11:25 +0000

Wishing to demonstrate to his friend Jana Schreiner that he had enjoyed reading her recently published book, Igor Ivanovich decided one fine afternoon to take a photograph of himself with it. What followed was Chaplinesque farce: I, as his research assistant, took photo after photo which was closely scrutinized with much thoughtful chewing of lips and eventually, invariably, discarded with a strident pshaw! due to the quality of the light, positioning of the book or any other number of minutiae that only Igor Ivanovich, with his incomparable attention aux détails, could possibly notice. Eventually, after at least a good hour, he was satisfied with this one, and I lay down my camera with no small sigh of relief.

Somewhere around this time, I was set to the quite daunting task of clearing out the Himalaya mountain chain of papers and books (some dating to the 1970s! says the 25 year old in horror) in his apartment. "Nature," Igor Ivanovich would repeat to me at least daily by way of explanation whenever a particularly snowy shower of papers fell on my head, "abhors the void!"

Indeed, we shall be hard-pressed to find this one filled.

Vera von Falkenhausen

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:18:57 +0000

La Presidenza dell'"Associazione Italiana di Studi Bizantini", in rappresentanza del Direttivo e dei Membri dell'Associazione, e la redazione del notiziario elettronico della bizantinistica italiana "Aisbnews" manifestano il loro cordoglio alle persone care, agli amici e agli allievi dell'illustre studioso scomparso, ricordandone le straordinarie doti scientifiche e i meriti nel campo dell'organizzazione e del coordinamento internazionale degli studi bizantini.

Gilbert Dagron

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 09:03:55 +0000

Chère Catherine, peut-être vous souvenez-vous de Gilbert Dagron, de Marie-Chantal et du Collège de France, où vous êtes venue avec votre père. A vous et à votre sœur Elisabeth nous voudrions dire notre peine profonde et nos pensées affectueuses. Ihor était un grand savant, et aussi un très cher ami. Il était partout chez lui. Son souvenir gardera pour nous la joie et la force de sa présence. Gilbert Dagron

Richard Tarrant

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:48:35 +0000

I had the privilege of knowing Ihor since 1982, when I joined the Classics Department at Harvard. He was an incomparable colleague, an inspiring scholar and a great wit. Jackie joins me in offering our sincere condolences to the members of Ihor's family. A heartfelt tribute in one of the several languages in which Ihor moved so gracefully: chapeau!

Peter und Jana Schreiner

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:05:06 +0000

Игорь Иванович был для нас не только уникально эрудированным учёным, всесторонне образованным, интересным, оригинально мыслящим собеседником, но и по-семейному близким человеком, оставившим в нас глубокий, ничем и никем не восполнимый след. Память о нём для нас свята и вечна.

Nadezhda Kavrus-Hoffmann

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:41:42 +0000

My heartfelt condolences to Ihor Sevcenko's family. His death is a tremendous loss for the international community of scholars. Ihor Ivanovich truly was a Renaissance man, and his depth of knowledge and wide range of interests always amazed me. I attached a photo of Ihor Ivanovich and myself at the closing reception of the Byzantine Studies Congress in Moscow in 1991. Ihor Ivanovich's generosity and energy contributed a lot to the success of that Congress.

Спасибо за всё, Игорь Иванович, и вечная память!

Panayotidi Maria

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:53:58 +0000

He was a great personnality. I always learnt from him. He was not only a great historian and philologue but also an excellent art historian. My sincere condolences to his family.

Charles Gribble

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:14:49 +0000

I would like to mention one more aspect in which Professor Ševčenko excelled: language teaching. It was my great good fortune to have him for Polish and Russian classes in Ann Arbor in 1956 and 1957, and I still remember them vividly – he had an exceptional ability to turn plain language classes into exciting adventures in learning. He was also very approachable and encouraging, even to an undergraduate. I cherish his memory.

DR. Lily Macrakis- Dean

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:24:42 +0000

i MET HIM IN THE 60S AT hARVARD AND LATER AS A DEVOTED MEMBER OF THE MODERN GREEK STUDIES ASSOCIATION (MGSA)-AGAIN I SAW HIM IN OXFORD AND INTRODUCED HIM TO MY OLD FRIEND DR. NICHOLAS ZERNOV. ALL THREE OF US HAD TEA AT HIS ROOMS ALTHOUGH I HEARD A LOT OF BREAKAGE IN THE KITCHEN BEFORE WE WERE SERVED (a rather clumsy host!). HE HAD A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR AND DID NOT MIND MY REMARK THAT HE HAD A SUPERIORITY COMPLEX

Congourdeau Marie-Hélène

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:50:58 +0000

Travaillant actuellement sur le "so-called Anti-zealot Discourse" de Nicolas Cabasilas et sur le "Dialogue between the Rich and the Poor" de Makrembolites, deux textes édités et commentés par I. Sevcenko, c'est avec une grande émotion que j'ai appris le départ de ce grand byzantiniste dont je n'oublierai ni l'ouverture d'esprit, ni la compétence, ni l'humour irrésistible.

Asia

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:25:34 +0000

In Warsaw, in London, in Vienna and Venice.
Everywhere and forever...thank you

Dmytro Shtohryn

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:03:20 +0000

My deepest sympathy to the family of Academician Ihor Sevcenko, one of the greatest Ukrainian scholars. I have learned with profound sorrow of His death.
Dmytro Shtohryn
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Łukasz Jasina

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:34:15 +0000

Please accept my personal condolences because of prof. Sevcenko's death. I had an unique occasion to work with him last year.
Please, let me to write a few words in Polish - language of his town - Warsaw

Panie Profesorze!
Zazwyczaj jest tak ze gdy kogos juz nie ma - składamy mu hołdy i czcimy jego pamięć. Ale ja dziekuję Panu za sześc miesięcy w Cambridge - za wszystko...

Łukasz Jasina