Constantine P. Cavafy
A Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe.
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Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis (29 April (OS 17 April), 1863 – 29 April 1933), known especially in English as Constantine P. Cavafy and often published as C. P. Cavafy, was a Greek poet, journalist, and civil servant from Alexandria. A major figure of modern Greek literature, he is sometimes considered the most distinguished Greek poet of the 20th century.
Lore & Background
Cavafy was born in 1863 in Alexandria (then Ottoman Egypt) where his Greek parents had settled in 1855. He was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church and had six older brothers. His father was a prosperous merchant who had lived in England and held both Greek and British citizenship. After his father's death in 1870, the family moved to England for a time, then back to Alexandria in 1877.
In 1882, disturbances in Alexandria forced the family to move temporarily to Constantinople. Cavafy returned to Alexandria in 1885 and lived there for the rest of his life. He worked as a news correspondent, at the stock exchange, and later as a clerk in the British-run Egyptian Ministry of Public Works, holding that position for thirty years. He died of cancer of the larynx on 29 April 1933, his 70th birthday.
Reader's Guide
Cavafy's poetic canon consists of 154 poems, with dozens more that remained incomplete or in sketch form. He consistently refused to publish his work in books, preferring to share it through local newspapers and magazines, or even print it himself on broadsheets and give it away. His most important poems were written after his fortieth birthday and published two years after his death.
His work has been translated numerous times. His friend E. M. Forster first introduced his poems to the English-speaking world in 1923. Cavafy's poems are typically concise but intimate evocations of real or literary figures and milieux. Defining themes include uncertainty about the future, sensual pleasures, the moral character and psychology of individuals, homosexuality, and a fatalistic existential nostalgia.
His mature style was a free iambic form, with verses rarely rhyming and usually from 10 to 17 syllables. One of his most important works is his 1904 poem 'Waiting for the Barbarians', which ends: 'What is to become of us without barbarians? Those people were a solution of a sort.' In 1911, he wrote 'Ithaca', often considered his best-known poem, inspired by the Homeric return journey of Odysseus.
Did You Know?
- He was awarded the silver medal of the Order of Phoenix by the Greek state in 1926.
- David Hockney made a series of prints to illustrate a selection of Cavafy's poems in 1966.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Constantine P. Cavafy?
He was a Greek poet, journalist, and civil servant who spent his adult life in Alexandria, Egypt. Born in 1863 and dying in 1933, he is widely regarded as the most significant Greek poet of the twentieth century.
What poems is Cavafy most known for?
His best-known works include 'Waiting for the Barbarians' and 'Ithaca,' both of which have become touchstones of modern poetry. His broader body of verse is celebrated for its spare, unsentimental treatment of history and desire.
What did Cavafy do for a living besides writing?
He worked as a civil servant and journalist in Alexandria for most of his adult life, treating poetry as a private vocation. He published very little during his lifetime, and his reputation was largely cemented only after his death in 1933.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Constantine P. Cavafy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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