Evanthia Kairi – Letter to the Philhellene women

The eighteen-page Letter by Greek Women to the Philhellene Women was anonymously written in 1825 by Evanthia Kairi with the initials A. N. The initial N. referred to her patronym “Nikolaos”, whereas the initial A., according to Gregorios Roides, stood for her birthplace, Andros.

This Letter was eponymously co-signed by 30 eminent Greek women aiming to motivate Philhellene women in western countries to help reverse the biased and “treacherous”, as characterized in the Letter, attitude and policy of their leaders against the insurgent Greeks.

In 1826, it was translated into English by George Lee, published in London and was met with great enthusiasm by women’s Philhellenic circles, as is evidenced by the letter by the Paris Society of Ladies in support of the Greeks, but also by Evanthia Kairi’s letter to the Philhellene women of the USA written in 1828. Through her Letter, Evanthia contributed decisively to the rising of the Philhellenic movement, while concurrently she emphatically highlighted the input of women to literature and political action.