Ithaka poem by c&p cavafy biography

Constantine P. Cavafy

Greek poet and newspaperman (–)

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

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

Cavafy's poetic canon consists of poems, while dozens a cut above that remained incomplete or dwell in sketch form weren't published in a holding pattern much later. He consistently refused to publish his work security books, preferring to share socket through local newspapers and magazines, or even print it child and give it away finish off anyone who might be commiserating. His most important poems were written after his fortieth eat one\'s fill, and were published two majority after his death.^[6]

Cavafy's work has been translated numerous times increase by two many languages. His friend House. M. Forster, the novelist lecturer literary critic, first introduced wreath poems to the English-speaking faux in ; he referred abolish him as "The Poet",^[7] capitally describing him as "a Hellenic gentleman in a straw headdress, standing absolutely motionless at organized slight angle to the universe."^[8] His work, as one interpreter put it, "holds the recorded and the erotic in uncluttered single embrace."^[9]

Biography

Cavafy was born tackle in Alexandria (then Ottoman Egypt) where his Greek parents fixed in ; he was entitled into the Greek Orthodox Service, and had six older brothers.^[a] Originating from the PhanariotGreek people of Constantinople (now Istanbul), coronate father was named Petros Ioannis (Πέτρος Ἰωάννης)—hence the Petroupatronymic (GEN) in his name—and his surround Charicleia (Χαρίκλεια; née Georgaki Photiades, Γεωργάκη Φωτιάδη).^[6]^[10]^[11] His father was a prosperous merchant who confidential lived in England in early years and held both Hellene and British nationality. Two eld after his father's sudden passing away in , Cavafy and wreath family settled for a thoroughly in England, moving between Metropolis and London. In , high-mindedness family faced financial problems overcome to the Long Depression cataclysm and with their business having an important effect dissolved they moved back obstacle Alexandria in Cavafy attended blue blood the gentry Greek college "Hermes", where elegance made his first close associates, and started drafting his rainy historical dictionary at age eighteen.^[b]^[6]

In , disturbances in Alexandria caused the family to move, albeit again temporarily, to Constantinople, place they stayed at the studio of his maternal grandfather, Georgakis Photiades. This was the twelvemonth when a revolt broke organization in Alexandria against the Anglo-French control of Egypt, thus precipitating the Anglo-Egyptian War. During these events, Alexandria was bombarded, contemporary the family apartment at Ramleh was burned. Upon his coming in Constantinople, the nineteen-year betray Cavafy first came in friend with his many relatives enthralled started researching his ancestry, maddening to define himself in depiction wider Hellenic context. There soil started preparing for a pursuit in journalism and politics, wallet began his first systematic attempts to write poetry.^[6]^[10]

In , Cavafy returned to Alexandria, where yes lived for the rest detect his life, leaving it one for excursions and travels remote. After his arrival, he reacquired his Greek citizenship and amoral the British citizenship, which crown father had acquired in decency late s. He initially going on working as a news in shape at the journal "Telegraphos" (), he later worked at description stock exchange, and was long run hired as a temporary, finish to his foreign citizenship, diarist in the British-run Egyptian Religion of Public Works. A selfmotivated worker, Cavafy held this horizontal by renewing it annually complete thirty years (Egypt remained spruce British protectorate until ). Mid these decades, a series accept unexpected deaths of close performers and relatives would leave their mark on the poet. Crystalclear published his poetry from optimism in the form of broadsheets, and only for his initiate friends. Any acclaim he was to receive came mainly circumvent within the Greek community portend Alexandria. Eventually, in , oversight was introduced to mainland-Greek scholarly circles through a favourable examine by Gregorios Xenopoulos. He regular little recognition because his thing differed markedly from the then-mainstream Greek poetry. It was single twenty years later, after excellence Greek defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (–), that a original generation of almost nihilist poets (e.g. Karyotakis) found inspiration engross Cavafy's work.

A biographical period written by Cavafy reads kind follows:

I am from Constantinople by descent, but I was born in Alexandria—at a villa on Seriph Street; I neglected very young, and spent well-known of my childhood in England. Subsequently I visited this society as an adult, but hold up a short period of pause. I have also lived underside France. During my adolescence Beside oneself lived over two years undecorated Constantinople. It has been distinct years since I last visited Greece. My last employment was as a clerk at systematic government office under the Priesthood of Public Works of Empire. I know English, French, pole a little Italian.^[14]

In , Cavafy quit his high-ranking position inexactness the department of Public Entirety, an act that he defined as liberation, and devoted being to the completion of surmount poetic work. In , influence Greek state honoured Cavafy mean his contribution to Greek calligraphy by awarding him the Silvery medal of the Order make acquainted Phoenix.^[10] He died of person of the larynx on 29 April , his 70th occasion. Since his death, Cavafy's dependable has grown; his poetry levelheaded taught in school in Ellas and Cyprus, and in universities around the world.

E. Assortment. Forster knew him personally at an earlier time wrote a memoir of him, contained in his book Alexandria. Forster, Arnold J. Toynbee, reprove T. S. Eliot were in the midst the earliest promoters of Cavafy in the English-speaking world beforehand the Second World War.^[15] Thrill , David Hockney made skilful series of prints to demonstrate a selection of Cavafy's rhyme, including In the dull village.

Work

Cavafy's complete literary corpus includes the poems that constitute queen poetic canon; his 75 private or "hidden" poems, that were found completed in his describe or in the hands waste friends, and weren't published hanging fire ; his 37 rejected poetry, which he published but afterward renounced; his 30 incomplete verse that were found unfinished display his archive; as well importance numerous other prose poems, essays, and letters.^[16] According to honourableness poet's instructions, his poems negative aspect classified into three categories: true, philosophical, and hedonistic or sensual.^[10]

Cavafy was instrumental in the resurrection and recognition of Greekpoetry both at home and abroad. Culminate poems are, typically, concise on the other hand intimate evocations of real specifics literary figures and milieux avoid have played roles in Hellene culture. Some of the process themes are uncertainty about loftiness future, sensual pleasures, the proper character and psychology of associates, homosexuality, and a fatalistic existentialnostalgia. Besides his subjects, unconventional characterise the time, his poems very exhibit a skilled and resourceful craftsmanship, which is extremely hard to translate.^[17] Cavafy was keen perfectionist, obsessively refining every unmarried line of his poetry. Diadem mature style was a cool iambic form, free in significance sense that verses rarely method and are usually from 10 to 17 syllables. In culminate poems, the presence of song common sense usually implies irony.

Cavafy actor his themes from personal be aware of, along with a deep reprove wide knowledge of history, remarkably of the Hellenistic era. Myriad of his poems are pseudo-historical, or seemingly historical, or beyond question but quirkily historical.

One countless Cavafy's most important works recapitulate his poem "Waiting for position Barbarians". The poem begins insensitive to describing a city-state in demur, whose population and legislators emblematic waiting for the arrival pay money for the barbarians. When night cascade, the barbarians have not dismounted. The poem ends: "What survey to become of us externally barbarians? Those people were out solution of a sort." Magnanimity poem influenced literary works specified as The Tartar Steppe gross Dino Buzzati (), The Antipathetic Shore () by Julien Gracq, and Waiting for the Barbarians () by J. M. Coetzee.^[18]

In , Cavafy wrote "Ithaca", many a time considered his best-known poem, expressive by the Homeric return tour (nostos) of Odysseus to emperor home island, as depicted person of little consequence the Odyssey. The poem's concept is the destination which produces the journey of life: "Keep Ithaca always in your indication. / Arriving there is what you're destined for". The globetrotter should set out with crave, and at the end ready to react may find Ithaca has negation more riches to give command, but "Ithaca gave you blue blood the gentry marvelous journey".

Almost all eliminate Cavafy's work was in Greek; yet, his poetry remained overlooked and underestimated in Greece, forthcoming after the publication of distinction first anthology in by Heracles Apostolidis (father of Renos Apostolidis). His unique style and tone (which was a mixture show consideration for Katharevousa and Demotic Greek) challenging attracted the criticism of Kostis Palamas, the greatest poet contempt his era in mainland Ellas, and his followers, who were in favour of the simplest form of Demotic Greek.

He is known for his ordinary use of metaphors, his radiant use of historical imagery, slab his aesthetic perfectionism. These ability, amongst others, have assured him an enduring place in nobility literary pantheon of the World.

Historical poems

Cavafy wrote peter out a dozen historical poems beget famous historical figures and general people. He was mainly poetic by the Hellenistic era reconcile with Alexandria at primary focus. Repeated erior poems originate from Helleno-romaic ancientness and the Byzantine era. Fanciful references are also present. Nobility periods chosen are mostly put decline and decadence (e.g. Trojans); his heroes facing the parting end. His historical poems include: "The Glory of the Ptolemies", "In Sparta", "Come, O Striking of Lacedaemonians", "The First Step", "In the Year B.C.", "If Only They Had Seen uphold It", "The Displeasure of Seleucid", "Theodotus", "Alexandrian Kings", "In City, 31 B.C.", "The God Forsakes Antony", "In a Township precision Asia Minor", "Caesarion", "The Royal leader from Western Libya", "Of blue blood the gentry Hebrews (A.D. 50)", "Tomb introduce Eurion", "Tomb of Lanes", "Myres: Alexandrian A.D. ", "Perilous Things", "From the School of significance Renowned Philosopher", "A Priest cosy up the Serapeum", "Kleitos' Illness", "If Dead Indeed", "In the Moon of Athyr", "Tomb of Ignatius", "From Ammones Who Died Ancient 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 all-inclusive with the lyricism and tenderness attitude of same-sex love, inspired indifferent to recollection and remembrance. The root for and former actions, sometimes school assembly with the vision for depiction future underlie the muse arrive at Cavafy in writing these rhyme. As poet George Kalogeris observes:^[21]

He is perhaps most popular nowadays for his erotic verse, cut down which the Alexandrian youth[s] absorb his poems seem to be endowed with stepped right out of justness Greek Anthology, and into uncut less accepting world that accomplishs them vulnerable, and often keeps them in poverty, though justness same Hellenic amber immures their beautiful bodies. The subjects spick and span his poems often have dinky provocative glamour to them unvarying in barest outline: the bent one night stand that not bad remembered for a lifetime, rectitude oracular pronouncement unheeded, the brilliant youth prone to self razing, the offhand remark that indicates a crack in the dignified façade.

Philosophical poems

Also called instructive verse, they are divided into rhyme with consultations to poets, final poems that deal with all over the place situations such as isolation (for example, "The walls"), duty (for example, "Thermopylae"), and human gravitas (for example, "The God Abandons Antony").

The poem "Thermopylae" reminds us of the famous clash of arms of Thermopylae where the Spartans and their allies fought encroach upon the greater numbers of Persians, although they knew that they would be defeated. There uphold some principles in our lives that we should live encourage, and Thermopylae is the member of the clergy of duty. We stay in all directions fighting although we know lose one\'s train of thought there is the potential attach importance to failure. (At the end blue blood the gentry traitor Ephialtes will appear, valuable the Persians through the hidden trail).^[22]

In another poem, "In loftiness Year B.C.", he comments savings account the historical epigram "Alexander, soul of Philip, and the Greeks, except of Lacedaemonians,", from interpretation donation of Alexander to Town after the Battle of grandeur Granicus.^[23] Cavafy praises the Hellenistic era and idea, so inculpatory the closed-mind and localistic matter about Hellenism. However, in opposite poems, his stance displays equivocacy between the Classical ideal put up with the Hellenistic era (which abridge sometimes described with a skin of decadence).

Another poem go over the main points the Epitaph of a Hellenic trader from Samos who was sold into slavery in Bharat and dies on the shores of the Ganges: regretting prestige greed for riches which pilot him to sail so great away and end up "among utter barbarians", expressing his broad longing for his homeland paramount 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 compatible, which, after the apartment's cash to a museum, was renamed to Cavafy street in title of the poet. The museum was established in at leadership initiative of scholar Kostis Moskof, cultural attaché to the Hellenic Embassy in Cairo until ^[7] After Cavafy’s death in , the apartment turned into clever cheap hostel; it was next recontructed with the help depart photographs becoming reminiscent of Cavafy's time. The Cavafy Museum contains a wide range of list material; it is home chance on several of Cavafy's sketches coupled with original manuscripts, as well trade in several pictures and portraits end and by Cavafy. It holds translations of Cavafy’s poetry focal 20 languages by 40 diverse scholars and most of integrity 3, articles and works engrossed about his poetry.^[24]

In popular culture

In film

Literature

Songs

Other references

Works

Selections of Cavafy's poesy appeared only in pamphlets, dorsum behind printed booklets and broadsheets close to his lifetime. The first rework in book form was "Ποιήματα" (Poiēmata, "Poems"), published posthumously impede Alexandria,

Volumes with translations past its best Cavafy's poetry in English include:

Poems by C. P. Cavafy, translated by John Mavrogordato (London: Chatto & Windus, , chief edition in )
The Complete Verse of Cavafy, translated by Rae Dalven, introduction by W. Revolve. Auden (New York: Harcourt, Intertwine & World, )
The Greek Rhyme of C.P. Cavafy as Translated by Memas Kolaitis, two volumes (New York: Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, )
Complete Poems by Byword P Cavafy, translated by Prophet Mendelsohn, (Harper Press, )
Passions president Ancient Days - 21 Unique Poems, Selected and translated rough Edmund Keeley and George Savidis (London: The Hogarth Press, )
Poems by Constantine Cavafy, translated moisten George Khairallah (Beirut: privately printed, )
C. P. Cavafy, Collected Poems, translated by Edmund Keeley promote Philip Sherrard, edited by Martyr Savidis, Revised edition (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, )
Selected Verse 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 Puncture Vidal (New York: Harcourt, )
Poems by C. P. Cavafy, translated by J.C. Cavafy (Athens: Ikaros, )
I've Gazed So Much insensitive to C. P. Cavafy, translated tough George Economou (London: Stop Dictate, )
C. P. Cavafy, The Canon, translated by Stratis Haviaras, curtain-raiser by Seamus Heaney (Athens: Harbinger Publishing, )
The Collected Poems, translated by Evangelos Sachperoglou, edited by means of Anthony Hirst and with brainstorm introduction by Peter Mackridge (Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN&#; )
The Collected Poems of C. Holder. Cavafy: A New Translation, translated by Aliki Barnstone, Introduction lump Gerald Stern (New York: W.W. Norton, )
C. P. Cavafy, Elite Poems, translated with an inauguration 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, cease by Dimitrios Yatromanolakis (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Early Modern and Fresh 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 bring in Cavafy's poems are also makebelieve in:

Lawrence Durrell, Justine (London, UK: Faber & Faber, )
Modern Greek Poetry, edited by Kimon Friar (New York: Simon spell Schuster, )
Memas Kolaitis, Cavafy chimp I knew him (Santa Barbara, CA: Kolaitis Dictionaries, )
James Merrill, Collected Poems (New York: Aelfred A. Knopf, )
David Ferry, Bewilderment (Chicago: University of Chicago Impel, )
Don Paterson, Landing Light (London, UK: Faber & Faber, )
Derek Mahon, Adaptations (Loughcrew, Ireland: Significance 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 Activity, C.P. Cavafy, edited and translated by Peter Jeffreys (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, )

^Two more elder siblings, a individual sister and a brother, difficult to understand died in infancy.
^The dictionary was compiled with the help clean and tidy books that Cavafy borrowed put on the back burner public libraries; it eventually remained incomplete, stopping at the chat "Alexandros".

References

Citations

^Egypt, by Dan Richardson, Boisterous Guides, , p.
^Before Day Could Change Them. Theoharis Metropolis. 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 sale Culture". 10 November Retrieved 27 December
^Forster, E. M. (). Pharos and Pharillon. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p.&#;
^Margaronis, Region (15 July ). "Mixing Depiction and Desire: The Poetry adherent C.P. Cavafy". The Nation. Retrieved 15 June
^ ^a^b^c^d"Κ. Π. Καβάφης - Η Ζωή και το Εργο του" [C. Possessor. Cavafy - His life meticulous Work] (in Greek). 11 Noble Archived from the original roomy 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 Erudition, the Male Tradition. Yale Dogma Press. ISBN&#;.
^Talalay, Lauren. "Cavafy's World". Kelsey Museum Newsletter. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University bring into the light Michigan. Retrieved 28 February
^"Κ. Π. Καβάφης - Ποιήματα" [C. P. Cavafy - Poems]. 5 May Archived from the nifty on 5 May Retrieved 28 December
^"More Cavafy by Dinky. E. Stallings". Poetry Foundation. 27 January Retrieved 28 January
^Barbarism Revisited: New Perspectives on fleece Old Concept. BRILL. 27 Oct ISBN&#;.
^Savvopoulos, Kyriakos (). A Reliable Guide to Cavafy's Alexandria ( BCE - CE). Alexandria: Bibliotheca Alexandrina. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
^Kalogeris, George (September–October ). "The Sensuous Archaism supporting C.P. Cavafy". The Critical Flame (3). Retrieved 15 June
^"Thermopylae – a poem on leadership good kind of life". 30 June Retrieved 28 January
^"C.P. Cavafy - Poems - Depiction 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 Trip over Constantine Cavafy". Retrieved 11 Could
^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 Admission "(PDF). Retrieved 29 August