The Gulbenkian Archives contain an extensive corpusof personal correspondence exchanged between Calouste Gulbenkian and his grandson, Mikaël Essayan, during World War II. The family was dispersed at this point. Calouste was in Lisbon, Mikaël in England (studying at Harrow) and his parents were stuck in Paris. During this period, Calouste took up, on his own initiative, the reins of his grandson’s education, who he considered as his heir.

These letters reveal Calouste Gulbenkian’s more personal side, his thoughts, values and principles. They constitute a rare source that provides a glimpse into his mentality and personality.A selection of these letters is to be published in a slim bilingual volume in Portuguese and the original language in which they were written (French in most part and English).

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation reserves the right to collect and keep records of images, sounds and voice during the book launch “The Education of the Dauphin: Letters from Calouste Gulbenkian to his Grandson”, for the diffusion and collective preservation of the memory of its cultural and artistic activity. For further information, please contact us at [email protected].