Early Years
Christodoulou was born in Cyprus in 1932, the oldest of three sons of Yianni Christodoulos, a cobbler, and his wife, Maria, née Haji. He came to London when he was three to join his father who was working as a kitchen porter in Soho. He hardly knew his mother, who died giving birth to twin sons, who lived. These twin brothers later went to live in Barbados with foster parents. Christodoulou had been born on Easter Day and was named 'Anastasios' by his parents, meaning 'Resurrection'. He lived with his father above a Soho restaurant and early on displayed a precocious intelligence. He went to a local primary school aged five, not knowing a word of English, but by half-term was interpreting for much of the local Greek Cypriot community. Aged 11 he won a place at St Marylebone Grammar School.
Read more about this topic: Anastasios Christodoulou
Famous quotes related to early years:
“If there is a price to pay for the privilege of spending the early years of child rearing in the driver’s seat, it is our reluctance, our inability, to tolerate being demoted to the backseat. Spurred by our success in programming our children during the preschool years, we may find it difficult to forgo in later states the level of control that once afforded us so much satisfaction.”
—Melinda M. Marshall (20th century)