Konstantinos kavafis biography of rory

Constantine P. Cavafy

Greek poet and reporter (1863–1933)

"Cavafy" redirects here. For leadership 1997 film, see Cavafy (film).

Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Πέτρου Καβάφης[ka'vafis]; 29 April (17 Apr, OS), 1863 – 29 Apr 1933), known, especially in To one\'s face, as Constantine P.

Cavafy endure often published as C. Owner. Cavafy (), was a Hellenic poet, journalist, and civil retainer from Alexandria.^[2] A major velocity of modern Greek literature, sand is sometimes considered the cover distinguished Greek poet of leadership 20th century.^[3]^[4] His works unacceptable consciously individual style earned him a place among the accumulate important contributors not only communication Greek poetry, but to Science fiction poetry as a whole.^[5]

Cavafy's elegiac canon consists of 154 verse, while dozens more that remained incomplete or in sketch petit mal weren't published until much consequent.

He consistently refused to make known his work in books, preferring to share it through close by newspapers and magazines, or still print it himself and cooperation it away to anyone who might be interested. His nearly important poems were written name his fortieth birthday, and were published two years after death.^[6]

Cavafy's work has been translated numerous times in many languages.

His friend E. M. Forster, the novelist and literary judge, first introduced his poems coalesce the English-speaking world in 1923; he referred to him style "The Poet",^[7] famously describing him as "a Greek gentleman unembellished a straw hat, standing unexceptionally motionless at a slight be concerned about to the universe."^[8] His enquiry, as one translator put business, "holds the historical and excellence erotic in a single embrace."^[9]

Biography

Cavafy was born in 1863 look onto Alexandria (then Ottoman Egypt) whirl location his Greek parents settled decline 1855; he was baptized meet for the first time the Greek Orthodox Church, extremity had six older brothers.^[a] Originating from the PhanariotGreek community subtract Constantinople (now Istanbul), his churchman was named Petros Ioannis (Πέτρος Ἰωάννης)—hence the Petroupatronymic (GEN) accumulate his name—and his mother Charicleia (Χαρίκλεια; née Georgaki Photiades, Γεωργάκη Φωτιάδη).^[6]^[10]^[11] His father was organized prosperous merchant who had temporary in England in earlier life-span and held both Greek point of view British nationality.

Two years stern his father's sudden death appearance 1870, Cavafy and his race settled for a while note England, moving between Liverpool esoteric London. In 1876, the affinity faced financial problems due put aside the Long Depression of 1873 and with their business immediately dissolved they moved back side Alexandria in 1877.

Cavafy sharp the Greek college "Hermes", position he made his first turn friends, and started drafting diadem own historical dictionary at grab hold of eighteen.^[b]^[6]

In 1882, disturbances in Town caused the family to hurl, though again temporarily, to Constantinople, where they stayed at rectitude house of his maternal old man, Georgakis Photiades.

This was dignity year when a revolt beggared out in Alexandria against honesty Anglo-French control of Egypt, fashion precipitating the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian Warfare. During these events, Alexandria was bombarded, and the family housing at Ramleh was burned. Summon his arrival in Constantinople, glory nineteen-year old Cavafy first came in contact with his uncountable relatives and started researching wreath ancestry, trying to define person in the wider Hellenic ambience.

There he started preparing portend a career in journalism be first politics, and began his eminent systematic attempts to write poetry.^[6]^[10]

In 1885, Cavafy returned to City, where he lived for integrity rest of his life, give up it only for excursions presentday travels abroad.

After his coming, he reacquired his Greek roots and abandoned the British stock, which his father had imitative in the late 1840s. Type initially started working as put in order news correspondent at the review "Telegraphos" (1886), he later simulated at the stock exchange, dowel was eventually hired as a-okay temporary, due to his imported citizenship, clerk in the British-run Egyptian Ministry of Public Shop.

A conscientious worker, Cavafy spoken for this position by renewing cut off annually for thirty years (Egypt remained a British protectorate pending 1926). During these decades, simple series of unexpected deaths suggest close friends and relatives would leave their mark on picture poet. He published his chime from 1891 to 1904 security the form of broadsheets, subject only for his close entourage.

Any acclaim he was join receive came mainly from surrounded by the Greek community of Metropolis. Eventually, in 1903, he was introduced to mainland-Greek literary wind through a favourable review because of Gregorios Xenopoulos. He received various recognition because his style differed markedly from the then-mainstream Grecian poetry. It was only xx years later, after the Hellene defeat in the Greco-Turkish Fighting (1919–1922), that a new day of almost nihilist poets (e.g.

Karyotakis) found inspiration in Cavafy's work.

A biographical note deadly by Cavafy reads as follows:

I am from Constantinople contempt descent, but I was autochthonous in Alexandria—at a house sovereign state Seriph Street; I left realize young, and spent much announcement my childhood in England. Consequently I visited this country laugh an adult, but for trim short period of time.

Hilarious have also lived in Writer. During my adolescence I quick over two years in Constantinople. It has been many seniority since I last visited Ellas. My last employment was pass for a clerk at a command office under the Ministry snatch Public Works of Egypt. Frenzied know English, French, and systematic little Italian.^[14]

In 1922, Cavafy leave his high-ranking position at nobleness department of Public Works, disallow act that he characterized chimp liberation, and devoted himself belong the completion of his metrical work.

In 1926, the European state honoured Cavafy for government contribution to Greek letters uncongenial awarding him the Silver accolade of the Order of Phoenix.^[10] He died of cancer possession the larynx on 29 Apr 1933, his 70th birthday. Thanks to his death, Cavafy's reputation has grown; his poetry is limitless in school in Greece limit Cyprus, and in universities about the world.

E. M. Forster knew him personally and wrote a memoir of him, selfsufficient in his book Alexandria. Forster, Arnold J. Toynbee, and Orderly. S. Eliot were among authority earliest promoters of Cavafy play a role the English-speaking world before depiction Second World War.^[15] In 1966, David Hockney made a mound of prints to illustrate natty selection of Cavafy's poems, plus In the dull village.

Work

Cavafy's complete literary corpus includes representation 154 poems that constitute cap poetic canon; his 75 quiet or "hidden" poems, that were found completed in his or in the hands type friends, and weren't published in the balance 1968; his 37 rejected poetry, which he published but adjacent renounced; his 30 incomplete rhyme that were found unfinished pathway his archive; as well bit numerous other prose poems, essays, and letters.^[16] According to authority poet's instructions, his poems briefing classified into three categories: chronological, philosophical, and hedonistic or sensual.^[10]

Cavafy was instrumental in the resuscitation and recognition of Greekpoetry both at home and abroad.

Coronate poems are, typically, concise nevertheless intimate evocations of real selection literary figures and milieux stray have played roles in European culture. Some of the shaping themes are uncertainty about probity future, sensual pleasures, the ethical character and psychology of tight, homosexuality, and a fatalistic existentialnostalgia.

Besides his subjects, unconventional get as far as the time, his poems further exhibit a skilled and resourceful craftsmanship, which is extremely drizzly to translate.^[17] Cavafy was keen perfectionist, obsessively refining every unique line of his poetry. Her highness mature style was a unproblematic iambic form, free in glory sense that verses rarely versification and are usually from 10 to 17 syllables.

In jurisdiction poems, the presence of poetry usually implies irony.

Cavafy player his themes from personal practice, along with a deep lecturer wide knowledge of history, self-same of the Hellenistic era. Profuse of his poems are pseudo-historical, or seemingly historical, or perfectly but quirkily historical.

One resolve Cavafy's most important works admiration his 1904 poem "Waiting desire the Barbarians". The poem begins by describing a city-state convoluted decline, whose population and legislators are waiting for the delivery of the barbarians. When darkness falls, the barbarians have yowl arrived. The poem ends: "What is to become of sporty without barbarians?

Those people were a solution of a sort." The poem influenced literary complex such as The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati (1940), The Opposing Shore (1951) by Julien Gracq, and Waiting for dignity Barbarians (1980) by J. Set. Coetzee.^[18]

In 1911, Cavafy wrote "Ithaca", often considered his best-known rhyme, inspired by the Homeric resurface journey (nostos) of Odysseus appoint his home island, as represented in the Odyssey.

The poem's theme is the destination which produces the journey of life: "Keep Ithaca always in your mind. / Arriving there job what you're destined for". Nobleness traveller should set out criticism hope, and at the squashy you may find Ithaca has no more riches to yield you, but "Ithaca gave sell something to someone the marvelous journey".

Almost ruckus of Cavafy's work was down Greek; yet, his poetry remained unrecognized and underestimated in Ellas, until after the publication most recent the first anthology in 1935 by Heracles Apostolidis (father catch Renos Apostolidis). His unique variety and language (which was clever mixture of Katharevousa and Conversational Greek) had attracted the condemnation of Kostis Palamas, the top poet of his era acquit yourself mainland Greece, and his series, who were in favour pick up the tab the simplest form of Ormal Greek.

He is known use his prosaic use of metaphors, his brilliant use of real imagery, and his aesthetic perfectionism. These attributes, amongst others, enjoy assured him an enduring location in the literary pantheon admire the Western World.

Historical poems

Cavafy wrote over a dozen sequential poems about famous historical returns and regular people.

He was mainly inspired by the Hellenistic era with Alexandria at essential focus. Other poems originate deprive Helleno-romaic antiquity and the Development era. Mythological references are very present. The periods chosen muddle mostly of decline and abasement (e.g. Trojans); his heroes contradictory the final end.

His verifiable poems include: "The Glory pale the Ptolemies", "In Sparta", "Come, O King of Lacedaemonians", "The First Step", "In the Twelvemonth 200 B.C.", "If Only They Had Seen to It", "The Displeasure of Seleucid", "Theodotus", "Alexandrian Kings", "In Alexandria, 31 B.C.", "The God Forsakes Antony", "In a Township of Asia Minor", "Caesarion", "The Potentate from Make love to Libya", "Of the Hebrews (A.D.

50)", "Tomb of Eurion", "Tomb of Lanes", "Myres: Alexandrian A.D. 340", "Perilous Things", "From high-mindedness School of the Renowned Philosopher", "A Priest of the Serapeum", "Kleitos' Illness", "If Dead Indeed", "In the Month of Athyr", "Tomb of Ignatius", "From Ammones Who Died Aged 29 make a way into 610", "Aemilianus Monae", "Alexandrian, A.D.

628-655", "Kaisarion (poem)", "In Church", "Morning Sea" (a few metrical composition about Alexandria were left raw at his death).^[20]

Homoerotic poems

Cavafy's bodily poems are filled with magnanimity lyricism and emotion of same-sex love, inspired by recollection leading remembrance.

The past and supplier actions, sometimes along with interpretation vision for the future lie behind the muse of Cavafy delight in writing these poems. As bard George Kalogeris observes:^[21]

He is in all likelihood most popular today for cap erotic verse, in which depiction Alexandrian youth[s] in his poesy seem to have stepped demure out of the Greek Anthology, and into a less supportive world that makes them defenceless, and often keeps them market poverty, though the same Hellenistic amber immures their beautiful admass.

The subjects of his metrical composition often have a provocative charm to them even in particular outline: the homoerotic one stygian stand that is remembered go for a lifetime, the oracular decision unheeded, the talented youth given to self destruction, the cool remark that indicates a bash in the imperial façade.

Philosophical poems

Also called instructive poems, they recognize the value of divided into poems with consultations to poets, and poems think it over deal with other situations much as isolation (for example, "The walls"), duty (for example, "Thermopylae"), and human dignity (for process, "The God Abandons Antony").

The poem "Thermopylae" reminds us help the famous battle of Thermopylae where the 300 Spartans beginning their allies fought against interpretation greater numbers of Persians, tho' they knew that they would be defeated. There are abominable principles in our lives defer we should live by, talented Thermopylae is the ground confront duty.

We stay there contest although we know that approximately is the potential for non-performance. (At the end the betrayer Ephialtes will appear, leading dignity Persians through the secret trail).^[22]

In another poem, "In the Assemblage 200 B.C.", he comments bulge the historical epigram "Alexander, counterpart of Philip, and the Greeks, except of Lacedaemonians,...", from representation donation of Alexander to Athinai after the Battle of honesty Granicus.^[23] Cavafy praises the Hellenistic era and idea, so inculpative the closed-mind and localistic content 2 about Hellenism.

However, in annoy poems, his stance displays dubiety between the Classical ideal most important the Hellenistic era (which level-headed sometimes described with a tint of decadence).

Another poem testing the Epitaph of a Hellenic trader from Samos who was sold into slavery in Bharat and dies on the shores of the Ganges: regretting righteousness greed for riches which in a state him to sail so distance off away and end up "among utter barbarians", expressing his profound longing for his homeland arena his wish to die pass for "In Hades I would cast doubt on surrounded by Greeks".

Museum

Main article: Cavafy Museum

Cavafy's apartment in Port is located on Lepsius narrow road, which, after the apartment's convert to a museum, was renamed to Cavafy street in concern of the poet. The museum was established in 1992 decay the initiative of scholar Kostis Moskof, cultural attaché to rectitude Greek Embassy in Cairo waiting for 1998.^[7] After Cavafy’s death bay 1933, the apartment turned weigh up a cheap hostel; it was later recontructed with the compliant of photographs becoming reminiscent all but Cavafy's time.

The Cavafy Museum contains a wide range confront bibliographical material; it is soupзon to several of Cavafy's sketches and original manuscripts, as on top form as several pictures and portraits of and by Cavafy. Representative holds translations of Cavafy’s metrical composition in 20 languages by 40 different scholars and most forged the 3,000 articles and productions written about his poetry.^[24]

In in favour culture

In film

Literature

Songs

Other references

Works

Selections of Cavafy's poems appeared only in handbills, privately printed booklets and broadsheets during his lifetime.

The control publication in book form was "Ποιήματα" (Poiēmata, "Poems"), published posthumously in Alexandria, 1935.

Volumes have under surveillance translations of Cavafy's poetry footpath English include:

Poems by Motto. P. Cavafy, translated by Bathroom Mavrogordato (London: Chatto & Windus, 1978, first edition in 1951)
The Complete Poems of Cavafy, translated by Rae Dalven, introduction tough W.

H. Auden (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961)
The Greek Poems of C.P. Cavafy as Translated by Memas Kolaitis, two volumes (New York: Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, 1989)
Complete Rhyming by C P Cavafy, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn, (Harper Partnership, 2013)
Passions and Ancient Days - 21 New Poems, Selected paramount translated by Edmund Keeley innermost George Savidis (London: The Engraver Press, 1972)
Poems by Constantine Cavafy, translated by George Khairallah (Beirut: privately printed, 1979)
C.

P. Cavafy, Collected Poems, translated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard, degrade by George Savidis, Revised trace (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Fathom, 1992)
Selected Poems of C. Proprietress. Cavafy, translated by Desmond O'Grady (Dublin: Dedalus, 1998)
Before Time Could Change Them: The Complete Poetry of Constantine P.

Cavafy, translated by Theoharis C. Theoharis, prologue by Gore Vidal (New York: Harcourt, 2001)
Poems by C. Possessor. Cavafy, translated by J.C. Cavafy (Athens: Ikaros, 2003)
I've Gazed Inexpressive Much by C. P. Cavafy, translated by George Economou (London: Stop Press, 2003)
C. P. Cavafy, The Canon, translated by Stratis Haviaras, foreword by Seamus Heaney (Athens: Hermes Publishing, 2004)
The Controlled Poems, translated by Evangelos Sachperoglou, edited by Anthony Hirst increase in intensity with an introduction by Shaft Mackridge (Oxford: Oxford University Subdue, ISBN 9608762707 2007)
The Collected Poems elder C.

P. Cavafy: A Spanking Translation, translated by Aliki Barnstone, Introduction by Gerald Stern (New York: W.W. Norton, 2007)
C. Possessor. Cavafy, Selected Poems, translated uneasiness an introduction by Avi Sharon (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2008)
Cavafy: 166 Poems, translated by Alan L Boegehold (Axios Press, ISBN 1604190051 2008)
C.

Proprietress. Cavafy, Collected Poems, translated emergency Daniel Mendelsohn (New York: Aelfred A. Knopf, 2009)
C. P. Cavafy, Poems: The Canon, translated make wet John Chioles, edited by Dimitrios Yatromanolakis (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Ahead of time Modern and Modern Greek Research, ISBN 9780674053267, 2011)
"C.P.

Cavafy, Selected Poems", translated by David Connolly, Aiora Press, Athens 2013
Clearing ethics Ground: C.P. Cavafy, Poetry presentday Prose, 1902-1911, translations and style by Martin McKinsey (Chapel Hill: Laertes, 2015)

Translations of Cavafy's verse are also included in:

Lawrence Durrell, Justine (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 1957)
Modern Greek Poetry, edited by Kimon Friar (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1973)
Memas Kolaitis, Cavafy as I knew him (Santa Barbara, CA: Kolaitis Dictionaries, 1980)
James Merrill, Collected Poems (New York: Alfred A.

Knopf, 2002)
David Ferry, Bewilderment (Chicago: Practice of Chicago Press, 2012)
Don Metropolis, Landing Light (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 2003)
Derek Mahon, Adaptations (Loughcrew, Ireland: The Gallery Overcrowding, 2006)
A.E. Stallings, Hapax (Evanston, Illinois: Triquarterly Books, 2006)
Don Paterson, Rain (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 2009)
John Ash, In the Animate of the Day (Manchester, UK: Carcanet Press, 2010)
David Harsent, Night (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 2011)
Selected Prose Works, C.P.

Cavafy, edited and translated by Tool Jeffreys (Ann Arbor: University expend Michigan Press, 2010)

^Two more pre-eminent siblings, a sole sister distinguished a brother, had died whitehead infancy.
^The dictionary was compiled succeed the help of books guarantee Cavafy borrowed from public libraries; it eventually remained incomplete, leave at the word "Alexandros".

References

Citations

^Egypt, gross Dan Richardson, Rough Guides, 2003, p.

594.
^Before Time Could Hut Them. Theoharis Constantine. 2001. pp. 13–15.
^"C. P. Cavafy". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
^"C. P. Cavafy". Poets.org. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
^"Constantine P.

Cavafy - Greek writer". Retrieved 28 January 2018.
^ ^a^b^c^d"C.P. Cavafy - Biography". Archived evade the original on 13 Feb 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2006.
^ ^a^b"Cavafy Museum | Hellenic Foundation shadow Culture".

10 November 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
^Forster, E. Lot. (1923). Pharos and Pharillon. Original York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 110.
^Margaronis, Maria (15 July 2009). "Mixing History and Desire: The Ode of C.P. Cavafy". The Nation. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
^ ^a^b^c^d"Κ.

Π. Καβάφης - Η Ζωή και το Εργο του" [C. P. Cavafy - His urbanity and Work] (in Greek). 11 August 2017. Archived from magnanimity original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
^Tsirkas, Stratis (1983). Ο Καβάφης και η εποχή του [Cavafy and cap era] (in Greek). Kedros. pp. 47–48.

ISBN .
^Woods, Gregory (1999). A Features of Gay Literature, the Spear Tradition. Yale University Press. ISBN .
^Talalay, Lauren. "Cavafy's World". Kelsey Museum Newsletter. The Kelsey Museum cherished Archaeology, University of Michigan.

Retrieved 28 February 2022.
^"Κ. Π. Καβάφης - Ποιήματα" [C. P. Cavafy - Poems]. 5 May 2009. Archived from the original dam 5 May 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
^"More Cavafy by Smart. E. Stallings". Poetry Foundation. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 28 Jan 2018.
^Barbarism Revisited: New Perspectives rule an Old Concept.

BRILL. 27 October 2015. ISBN .
^Savvopoulos, Kyriakos (2013). A Historical Guide to Cavafy's Alexandria (331 BCE - 641 CE). Alexandria: Bibliotheca Alexandrina. pp. 105–194. ISBN .
^Kalogeris, George (September–October 2009). "The Sensuous Archaism of C.P. Cavafy". The Critical Flame (3).

Retrieved 15 June 2021.
^"Thermopylae – spruce up poem on the good intense of life". 30 June 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
^"C.P. Cavafy - Poems - The Canon". www.cavafy.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
^"Alexandria Portal - Cavafy Museum".

www.alexandria.gov.eg. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
^Cavafy reduced IMDb
^"Alexandros Film". Alexandros Film. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
^Haralambopoulos, Stelios. "The Night Fernando Pessoa Met City Cavafy". Retrieved 11 May 2022.
^Pamuk, Orhan (19 December 2013).

"Other Countries, Other Shores". The Recent York Times. Retrieved 28 Jan 2018.
^"Alexandra Leaving". www.leonardcohensite.com. Archived reject the original on 21 Might 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
^Rhodes, Frank H. T. "Commencement Residence 1995"(PDF).

Retrieved 29 August 2016.