Photograph of Basil Zaharoff. Image source: Gallica
After making his fortune from arms dealing, Zaharoff bought the Chateau de Balincourt outside Paris and lived there. In an effort to remain anonymous and guard his privacy, he reportedly bought up all the postcards he could that featured an image of the house. Find out more about this enigmatic character who spent his lifetime covering up his past here.
Image was important to Zaharoff. He wanted to be associated with philanthropy and not with arms and munitions, where he actually made his money. To this end, he made donations to prestigious universities in the UK, France and elsewhere. In the Sorbonne University in Paris, the 'Earl Haig Chair of English Literature' was established in 1918. Meanwhile, across the Channel in Oxford University, the 'Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature' was set up. It is not clear what happened to the position in the Sorbonne, but it doesn't seem to exist anymore. The current holder of the position in Oxford is Catriona Seth. Read more about the history of these academic positions here.
Another aspect of Zaharoff's donation was the annual Zaharoff Lecture, which takes place in Oxford University. At these lectures, prominent French writers are invited to speak about their work. The 2018 lecture was given by the award-winning author, Pierre Michon.
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