C p cavafy biography books

Constantine P. Cavafy

Greek poet and newshound (–)

"Cavafy" redirects here. For goodness film, see Cavafy (film).

Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Πέτρου Καβάφης[ka'vafis]; 29 April (17 April, OS), – 29 April ), cloak, especially in English, as Constantine P. Cavafy and often promulgated as C. P. Cavafy (), was a Greek poet, reporter, and civil servant from Alexandria.^[2] A major figure of novel Greek literature, he is from time to time considered the most distinguished Hellenic poet of the 20th century.^[3]^[4] His works and consciously different style earned him a clasp among the most important contributors not only to Greek versification, but to Western poetry laugh a whole.^[5]

Cavafy's poetic canon consists of poems, while dozens improved that remained incomplete or outline sketch form weren't published in abeyance much later. He consistently refused to publish his work stop off books, preferring to share active through local newspapers and magazines, or even print it yourselves and give it away play-act anyone who might be commiserating. His most important poems were written after his fortieth solemnization, and were published two time eon after his death.^[6]

Cavafy's work has been translated numerous times eliminate many languages. His friend Tie. M. Forster, the novelist extremity literary critic, first introduced cap poems to the English-speaking earth in ; he referred indifference him as "The Poet",^[7] well 1 describing him as "a Hellenic gentleman in a straw consider it, standing absolutely motionless at simple slight angle to the universe."^[8] His work, as one metaphrast put it, "holds the verifiable and the erotic in ingenious single embrace."^[9]

Biography

Cavafy was born show in Alexandria (then Ottoman Egypt) where his Greek parents ordained in ; he was denominated into the Greek Orthodox Religion, and had six older brothers.^[a] Originating from the PhanariotGreek people of Constantinople (now Istanbul), culminate father was named Petros Ioannis (Πέτρος Ἰωάννης)—hence the Petroupatronymic (GEN) in his name—and his indigenous Charicleia (Χαρίκλεια; née Georgaki Photiades, Γεωργάκη Φωτιάδη).^[6]^[10]^[11] His father was a prosperous merchant who confidential lived in England in base years and held both Hellene and British nationality. Two length of existence after his father's sudden decease in , Cavafy and fillet family settled for a as in England, moving between Port and London. In , honourableness family faced financial problems outstanding to the Long Depression prescription and with their business notify dissolved they moved back withstand Alexandria in Cavafy attended probity Greek college "Hermes", where proscribed made his first close ensemble, and started drafting his rein in historical dictionary at age eighteen.^[b]^[6]

In , disturbances in Alexandria caused the family to move, scour again temporarily, to Constantinople, circle they stayed at the bedsit of his maternal grandfather, Georgakis Photiades. This was the generation when a revolt broke begin in Alexandria against the Anglo-French control of Egypt, thus precipitating the Anglo-Egyptian War. During these events, Alexandria was bombarded, arm the family apartment at Ramleh was burned. Upon his advent in Constantinople, the nineteen-year ancient Cavafy first came in connection with his many relatives paramount started researching his ancestry, grim to define himself in glory wider Hellenic context. There elegance started preparing for a life's work in journalism and politics, streak began his first systematic attempts to write poetry.^[6]^[10]

In , Cavafy returned to Alexandria, where type lived for the rest last part his life, leaving it one for excursions and travels near. After his arrival, he reacquired his Greek citizenship and shunned the British citizenship, which potentate father had acquired in excellence late s. He initially begun working as a news newshound at the journal "Telegraphos" (), he later worked at loftiness stock exchange, and was at the end of the day hired as a temporary, benefit to his foreign citizenship, diarist in the British-run Egyptian Council of Public Works. A rich worker, Cavafy held this quick look by renewing it annually home in on thirty years (Egypt remained clever British protectorate until ). Over these decades, a series admonishment unexpected deaths of close partnership and relatives would leave their mark on the poet. Subside published his poetry from halt in the form of broadsheets, and only for his bring to a close friends. Any acclaim he was to receive came mainly come across within the Greek community leave undone Alexandria. Eventually, in , sharp-tasting was introduced to mainland-Greek bookish circles through a favourable examine by Gregorios Xenopoulos. He everyday little recognition because his association differed markedly from the then-mainstream Greek poetry. It was sui generis incomparabl twenty years later, after picture Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (–), that a original generation of almost nihilist poets (e.g. Karyotakis) found inspiration terminate Cavafy's work.

A biographical suggest written by Cavafy reads orang-utan follows:

I am from Constantinople by descent, but I was born in Alexandria—at a dynasty on Seriph Street; I outstanding very young, and spent unnecessary of my childhood in England. Subsequently I visited this nation as an adult, but asset a short period of always. I have also lived plenty France. During my adolescence Mad lived over two years appearance Constantinople. It has been diverse years since I last visited Greece. My last employment was as a clerk at top-notch government office under the Cabinet of Public Works of Empire. I know English, French, coupled with a little Italian.^[14]

In , Cavafy quit his high-ranking position pressurize the department of Public Output, an act that he defined as liberation, and devoted themselves to the completion of reward poetic work. In , nobility Greek state honoured Cavafy joyfulness his contribution to Greek script by awarding him the Silvered medal of the Order fall foul of Phoenix.^[10] He died of growth of the larynx on 29 April , his 70th ritual. Since his death, Cavafy's label has grown; his poetry problem taught in school in Ellas and Cyprus, and in universities around the world.

E. Class. Forster knew him personally most important wrote a memoir of him, contained in his book Alexandria. Forster, Arnold J. Toynbee, trip T. S. Eliot were between the earliest promoters of Cavafy in the English-speaking world beforehand the Second World War.^[15] Pigs , David Hockney made dialect trig series of prints to put under somebody's nose a selection of Cavafy's metrical composition, including In the dull village.

Work

Cavafy's complete literary corpus includes the poems that constitute poetic canon; his 75 abstruse or "hidden" poems, that were found completed in his account or in the hands take in friends, and weren't published depending on ; his 37 rejected rhyming, which he published but closest renounced; his 30 incomplete verse that were found unfinished force his archive; as well restructuring numerous other prose poems, essays, and letters.^[16] According to interpretation poet's instructions, his poems hurtle classified into three categories: verifiable, philosophical, and hedonistic or sensual.^[10]

Cavafy was instrumental in the recrudescence and recognition of Greekpoetry both at home and abroad. Consummate poems are, typically, concise on the contrary intimate evocations of real find time for literary figures and milieux go off at a tangent have played roles in Hellenic culture. Some of the process themes are uncertainty about honourableness future, sensual pleasures, the hardnosed character and psychology of tight-fisted, homosexuality, and a fatalistic existentialnostalgia. Besides his subjects, unconventional lease the time, his poems too exhibit a skilled and resourceful craftsmanship, which is extremely gruelling to translate.^[17] Cavafy was boss perfectionist, obsessively refining every unique line of his poetry. Enthrone mature style was a unsoiled iambic form, free in high-mindedness sense that verses rarely song common sense and are usually from 10 to 17 syllables. In poems, the presence of versification usually implies irony.

Cavafy actor his themes from personal not recall, along with a deep existing wide knowledge of history, optional extra of the Hellenistic era. Myriad of his poems are pseudo-historical, or seemingly historical, or unerringly but quirkily historical.

One go in for Cavafy's most important works admiration his poem "Waiting for magnanimity Barbarians". The poem begins incite describing a city-state in turn down, whose population and legislators program waiting for the arrival fail the barbarians. When night avalanche, the barbarians have not checked in. The poem ends: "What legal action to become of us out barbarians? Those people were orderly solution of a sort." Rendering poem influenced literary works specified as The Tartar Steppe offspring Dino Buzzati (), The Damaging Shore () by Julien Gracq, and Waiting for the Barbarians () by J. M. Coetzee.^[18]

In , Cavafy wrote "Ithaca", regularly considered his best-known poem, effusive by the Homeric return crossing (nostos) of Odysseus to government home island, as depicted run to ground the Odyssey. The poem's text is the destination which produces the journey of life: "Keep Ithaca always in your inner self. / Arriving there is what you're destined for". The nomad should set out with dribble, and at the end restore confidence may find Ithaca has negation more riches to give prickly, but "Ithaca gave you rank marvelous journey".

Almost all noise Cavafy's work was in Greek; yet, his poetry remained unacknowledged and underestimated in Greece, waiting for after the publication of position first anthology in by Heracles Apostolidis (father of Renos Apostolidis). His unique style and jargon (which was a mixture stir up Katharevousa and Demotic Greek) esoteric attracted the criticism of Kostis Palamas, the greatest poet mock his era in mainland Ellas, and his followers, who were in favour of the simplest form of Demotic Greek.

He is known for his common use of metaphors, his bright use of historical imagery, captivated his aesthetic perfectionism. These endowments, amongst others, have assured him an enduring place in greatness literary pantheon of the Gothic World.

Historical poems

Cavafy wrote passing on a dozen historical poems gasp famous historical figures and common people. He was mainly exciting by the Hellenistic era not in favour of Alexandria at primary focus. Bottle up poems originate from Helleno-romaic relic and the Byzantine era. Fairytale references are also present. Interpretation periods chosen are mostly signal your intention decline and decadence (e.g. Trojans); his heroes facing the endorsement end. His historical poems include: "The Glory of the Ptolemies", "In Sparta", "Come, O Embarrassing of Lacedaemonians", "The First Step", "In the Year B.C.", "If Only They Had Seen support It", "The Displeasure of Seleucid", "Theodotus", "Alexandrian Kings", "In Metropolis, 31 B.C.", "The God Forsakes Antony", "In a Township keep in good condition Asia Minor", "Caesarion", "The Emperor from Western Libya", "Of character Hebrews (A.D. 50)", "Tomb see Eurion", "Tomb of Lanes", "Myres: Alexandrian A.D. ", "Perilous Things", "From the School of righteousness Renowned Philosopher", "A Priest mean the Serapeum", "Kleitos' Illness", "If Dead Indeed", "In the Thirty days of Athyr", "Tomb of Ignatius", "From Ammones Who Died Full of years 29 in ", "Aemilianus Monae", "Alexandrian, A.D. ", "Kaisarion (poem)", "In Church", "Morning Sea" (a few poems about Alexandria were left unfinished at his death).^[20]

Homoerotic poems

Cavafy's sensual poems are complete with the lyricism and feeling of same-sex love, inspired past as a consequence o recollection and remembrance. The previous and former actions, sometimes advance with the vision for significance future underlie the muse endorsement Cavafy in writing these verse. As poet George Kalogeris observes:^[21]

He is perhaps most popular nowadays for his erotic verse, heavens which the Alexandrian youth[s] border line his poems seem to conspiracy stepped right out of dignity Greek Anthology, and into uncomplicated less accepting world that brews them vulnerable, and often keeps them in poverty, though birth same Hellenic amber immures their beautiful bodies. The subjects funding his poems often have spick provocative glamour to them much in barest outline: the sapphic one night stand that not bad remembered for a lifetime, greatness oracular pronouncement unheeded, the brilliant youth prone to self wound, the offhand remark that indicates a crack in the princely façade.

Philosophical poems

Also called instructive poetry, they are divided into poetry with consultations to poets, tell poems that deal with beat situations such as isolation (for example, "The walls"), duty (for example, "Thermopylae"), and human nobles (for example, "The God Abandons Antony").

The poem "Thermopylae" reminds us of the famous armed conflict of Thermopylae where the Spartans and their allies fought overcome the greater numbers of Persians, although they knew that they would be defeated. There muddle some principles in our lives that we should live by way of, and Thermopylae is the delivery of duty. We stay regarding fighting although we know deviate there is the potential letch for failure. (At the end class traitor Ephialtes will appear, relevant the Persians through the concealed trail).^[22]

In another poem, "In integrity Year B.C.", he comments purchase the historical epigram "Alexander, top soil of Philip, and the Greeks, except of Lacedaemonians,", from significance donation of Alexander to Athinai after the Battle of leadership Granicus.^[23] Cavafy praises the Hellenistic era and idea, so inculpatory the closed-mind and localistic essence about Hellenism. However, in newborn poems, his stance displays hesitation between the Classical ideal current the Hellenistic era (which comment sometimes described with a articulation of decadence).

Another poem problem the Epitaph of a Hellenic trader from Samos who was sold into slavery in Bharat and dies on the shores of the Ganges: regretting picture greed for riches which spoiled him to sail so faraway away and end up "among utter barbarians", expressing his convex longing for his homeland captivated his wish to die makeover "In Hades I would snigger surrounded by Greeks".

Museum

Main article: Cavafy Museum

Cavafy's apartment in Port is located on Lepsius avenue, which, after the apartment's changeover to a museum, was renamed to Cavafy street in indignity of the poet. The museum was established in at character initiative of scholar Kostis Moskof, cultural attaché to the Hellene Embassy in Cairo until ^[7] After Cavafy’s death in , the apartment turned into on the rocks cheap hostel; it was succeeding recontructed with the help faultless photographs becoming reminiscent of Cavafy's time. The Cavafy Museum contains a wide range of bibliographic material; it is home get rid of several of Cavafy's sketches illustrious original manuscripts, as well since several pictures and portraits give a miss and by Cavafy. It holds translations of Cavafy’s poetry block 20 languages by 40 divergent scholars and most of interpretation 3, articles and works backhand about his poetry.^[24]

In popular culture

In film

Literature

Songs

Other references

Works

Selections of Cavafy's metrical composition appeared only in pamphlets, sneakily printed booklets and broadsheets next to his lifetime. The first change in book form was "Ποιήματα" (Poiēmata, "Poems"), published posthumously loaded Alexandria,

Volumes with translations guide Cavafy's poetry in English include:

Poems by C. P. Cavafy, translated by John Mavrogordato (London: Chatto & Windus, , regulate edition in )
The Complete Poetry of Cavafy, translated by Rae Dalven, introduction by W. Twirl. Auden (New York: Harcourt, Cross-piece & World, )
The Greek Poesy of C.P. Cavafy as Translated by Memas Kolaitis, two volumes (New York: Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, )
Complete Poems by Proverb P Cavafy, translated by Prophet Mendelsohn, (Harper Press, )
Passions deliver Ancient Days - 21 In mint condition Poems, Selected and translated newborn Edmund Keeley and George Savidis (London: The Hogarth Press, )
Poems by Constantine Cavafy, translated from end to end of George Khairallah (Beirut: privately printed, )
C. P. Cavafy, Collected Poems, translated by Edmund Keeley final Philip Sherrard, edited by Martyr Savidis, Revised edition (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, )
Selected Poesy of C. P. Cavafy, translated by Desmond O'Grady (Dublin: Dedalus, )
Before Time Could Change Them: The Complete Poems of Metropolis P. Cavafy, translated by Theoharis C. Theoharis, foreword by Carnage Vidal (New York: Harcourt, )
Poems by C. P. Cavafy, translated by J.C. Cavafy (Athens: Ikaros, )
I've Gazed So Much afford C. P. Cavafy, translated from end to end of George Economou (London: Stop Stifle, )
C. P. Cavafy, The Canon, translated by Stratis Haviaras, overture by Seamus Heaney (Athens: Pheidippides Publishing, )
The Collected Poems, translated by Evangelos Sachperoglou, edited jam Anthony Hirst and with unadorned introduction by Peter Mackridge (Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN&#; )
The Collected Poems of C. Possessor. Cavafy: A New Translation, translated by Aliki Barnstone, Introduction impervious to Gerald Stern (New York: W.W. Norton, )
C. P. Cavafy, Elect Poems, translated with an commencement by Avi Sharon (Harmondsworth: Penguin, )
Cavafy: Poems, translated by Alan L Boegehold (Axios Press, ISBN&#; )
C. P. Cavafy, Collected Poems, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, )
C. P. Cavafy, Poems: The Canon, translated by John Chioles, boring c manufactured by Dimitrios Yatromanolakis (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Early Modern and Spanking Greek Library, ISBN&#;, )
"C.P. Cavafy, Selected Poems", translated by King Connolly, Aiora Press, Athens
Clearing the Ground: C.P. Cavafy, Poetry and Prose, , translations and essay by Martin McKinsey (Chapel Hill: Laertes, )

Translations uphold Cavafy's poems are also numbered in:

Lawrence Durrell, Justine (London, UK: Faber & Faber, )
Modern Greek Poetry, edited by Kimon Friar (New York: Simon mount Schuster, )
Memas Kolaitis, Cavafy introduction I knew him (Santa Barbara, CA: Kolaitis Dictionaries, )
James Merrill, Collected Poems (New York: King A. Knopf, )
David Ferry, Bewilderment (Chicago: University of Chicago Retain, )
Don Paterson, Landing Light (London, UK: Faber & Faber, )
Derek Mahon, Adaptations (Loughcrew, Ireland: Class Gallery Press, )
A.E. Stallings, Hapax (Evanston, Illinois: Triquarterly Books, )
Don Paterson, Rain (London, UK: Faber & Faber, )
John Ash, In the Wake of the Day (Manchester, UK: Carcanet Press, )
David Harsent, Night (London, UK: Faber & Faber, )
Selected Prose Totality, C.P. Cavafy, edited and translated by Peter Jeffreys (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, )

^Two more elder siblings, a lone sister and a brother, esoteric died in infancy.
^The dictionary was compiled with the help fairhaired books that Cavafy borrowed evacuate public libraries; it eventually remained incomplete, stopping at the discussion "Alexandros".

References

Citations

^Egypt, by Dan Richardson, Grass Guides, , p.
^Before Hang on Could Change Them. Theoharis City. pp.&#;13–
^"C. P. Cavafy". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 28 September
^"C. Proprietress. Cavafy". . Retrieved 28 Sep
^"Constantine P. Cavafy - Hellene writer". Retrieved 28 January
^ ^a^b^c^d"C.P. Cavafy - Biography". Archived from the original on 13 February Retrieved 5 July Retrieved 7 December
^ ^a^b"Cavafy Museum | Hellenic Foundation pursue Culture". 10 November Retrieved 27 December
^Forster, E. M. (). Pharos and Pharillon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p.&#;
^Margaronis, Part (15 July ). "Mixing Characteristics and Desire: The Poetry be in opposition to C.P. Cavafy". The Nation. Retrieved 15 June
^ ^a^b^c^d"Κ. Π. Καβάφης - Η Ζωή και το Εργο του" [C. Holder. Cavafy - His life favour Work] (in Greek). 11 Revered Archived from the original horizontal 11 August Retrieved 27 Dec
^Tsirkas, Stratis (). Ο Καβάφης και η εποχή του [Cavafy and his era] (in Greek). Kedros. pp.&#;47– ISBN&#;.
^Woods, Gregory (). A History of Gay Information, the Male Tradition. Yale Origination Press. ISBN&#;.
^Talalay, Lauren. "Cavafy's World". Kelsey Museum Newsletter. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University additional Michigan. Retrieved 28 February
^"Κ. Π. Καβάφης - Ποιήματα" [C. P. Cavafy - Poems]. 5 May Archived from the modern on 5 May Retrieved 28 December
^"More Cavafy by Span. E. Stallings". Poetry Foundation. 27 January Retrieved 28 January
^Barbarism Revisited: New Perspectives on distinction Old Concept. BRILL. 27 Oct ISBN&#;.
^Savvopoulos, Kyriakos (). A Chronological Guide to Cavafy's Alexandria ( BCE - CE). Alexandria: Bibliotheca Alexandrina. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
^Kalogeris, George (September–October ). "The Sensuous Archaism stand for C.P. Cavafy". The Critical Flame (3). Retrieved 15 June
^"Thermopylae – a poem on high-mindedness good kind of life". 30 June Retrieved 28 January
^"C.P. Cavafy - Poems - Blue blood the gentry Canon". . Retrieved 28 Jan
^"Alexandria Portal - Cavafy Museum". . Retrieved 27 December
^Cavafy at IMDb
^"Alexandros Film". Alexandros Film. Retrieved 6 March
^Haralambopoulos, Stelios. "The Night Fernando Pessoa Fall down Constantine Cavafy". Retrieved 11 Can
^Pamuk, Orhan (19 December ). "Other Countries, Other Shores". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 January
^"Alexandra Leaving". . Archived from the original on 21 May Retrieved 28 January
^Rhodes, Frank H. T. "Commencement Homeland "(PDF). Retrieved 29 August