ABSTRACT
In 1978 I applied from Cyprus to the Centre for Byzantine Studies for a post-graduate degree. In due course, I received a letter: one ‘A. A. M. Bryer, Professor of Byzantine Studies’ was inviting me to come up to the Centre for an interview! My initial joy at receiving this invitation was soon overcome by anxiety, as in my mind the future interview took the imaginary shape of an ordeal, culminating in the humiliation of a polite rejection. Unable to contain my anxiety, I decided to seek professional help. And so it was that a few days before embarking on this dangerous assignation I found myself seated opposite a highly reputable professional in downtown Lemessos. In exchange for a not inconsiderable fee she sat in silence for quite a while, reflecting upon the dregs in my coffee cup. She finally exclaimed excitedly that she saw me – ‘There! See?’ – standing before a Megale Porta. Ah, I thought, the Centre! ‘Do I go through it?’ I asked with trepidation. The kafetzou sighed and shrugged her shoulders: Ah, she couldn't tell me that, she said, that wasn’t in my coffee cup ...
