Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Πέτρου Καβάφης [ka'vafis]; 29 April (OS 17 April), 1863 – 29 April 1933), known in English as Constantine P. Cavafy and often published as C. P. Cavafy (/kɑːˈvɑːfi/), was a Greek poet, journalist, and civil servant from Alexandria. He was an important figure in modern Greek literature and is sometimes considered the most respected Greek poet of the 20th century. His work and unique style made him one of the most important contributors to Greek poetry and Western poetry overall.

Cavafy wrote 154 poems, with many others left unfinished or in draft form. These were not published until much later. He refused to publish his work in books and instead shared it through local newspapers, magazines, or printed it himself on broadsheets and gave them to people who might be interested. His most important poems were written after his 40th birthday and published two years after his death.

Cavafy’s work has been translated into many languages. His friend E. M. Forster, a novelist and literary critic, first introduced his poems to English-speaking audiences in 1923. Forster called him "The Poet" and described him as "a Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe." One translator noted that his work "holds the historical and the erotic in a single embrace."

Biography

Cavafy was born in 1863 in Alexandria, which was then part of Ottoman Egypt. His Greek parents moved there in 1855, and he was baptized into the Greek Orthodox Church. He had six older brothers. His father was from the Phanariot Greek community of Constantinople (now Istanbul) and was named Petros Ioannis. This is why the name "Petrou" appears in Cavafy’s name. His mother was named Charicleia, and her family name was Georgaki Photiades. His father was a successful businessman who had lived in England earlier and held both Greek and British citizenship. Two years after his father died suddenly in 1870, Cavafy and his family moved to England for a time, living in Liverpool and London. In 1876, the family faced financial problems because of the Long Depression of 1873. With their business no longer operating, they returned to Alexandria in 1877. Cavafy attended a Greek school called "Hermes," where he made his first close friends. At eighteen, he began writing his own historical dictionary.

In 1882, unrest in Alexandria caused the family to temporarily move to Constantinople, where they stayed with Cavafy’s maternal grandfather, Georgakis Photiades. That year, a revolt broke out in Alexandria against the Anglo-French control of Egypt, leading to the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War. During these events, Alexandria was attacked, and the family’s home in Ramleh was burned. When Cavafy arrived in Constantinople at nineteen, he met many relatives and began researching his family history to understand his place in Greek culture. There, he prepared for a career in journalism and politics and started writing poetry seriously.

In 1885, Cavafy returned to Alexandria, where he lived for the rest of his life, leaving only for short trips abroad. After returning, he reacquired his Greek citizenship and gave up the British citizenship his father had obtained in the 1840s. He worked as a news correspondent for the journal Telegraphos (1886) and later at the stock exchange. Because of his foreign citizenship, he was hired as a temporary clerk in the British-run Egyptian Ministry of Public Works. He worked there for thirty years, renewing his position annually, as Egypt remained a British protectorate until 1926. During this time, the deaths of many close friends and relatives deeply affected him. He published his poetry from 1891 to 1904 in the form of broadsheets, sharing them only with close friends. Most of the recognition he received came from the Greek community in Alexandria. In 1903, a favorable review by Gregorios Xenopoulos introduced his work to mainland Greek literary circles. His style was different from mainstream Greek poetry of the time, so he received little attention. Twenty years later, after Greece’s defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), a new generation of poets found inspiration in Cavafy’s work.

In 1922, Cavafy left his high-ranking position at the Ministry of Public Works, calling it a "liberation," and focused on completing his poetry. In 1926, the Greek government honored him with the silver medal of the Order of Phoenix for his contributions to Greek literature. He died of throat cancer on April 29, 1933, on his 70th birthday. Since his death, Cavafy’s reputation has grown. His poetry is now taught in schools in Greece and Cyprus and in universities worldwide.

E. M. Forster knew Cavafy personally and wrote about him in his book Alexandria. Forster, Arnold J. Toynbee, and T. S. Eliot were among the first to promote Cavafy’s work in English-speaking countries before World War II. In 1966, David Hockney created a series of prints to illustrate some of Cavafy’s poems, including In the Dull Village.

Work

Cavafy’s complete body of work includes 154 poems that make up his main collection; 75 poems that were not published until 1968 and were found in his archive or with friends; 37 poems he wrote but later rejected; 30 poems that were left unfinished; and many other prose poems, essays, and letters. According to Cavafy’s instructions, his poems are divided into three groups: historical, philosophical, and those focused on pleasure or sensuality.

Cavafy helped revive and gain recognition for Greek poetry both in Greece and around the world. His poems are usually short but deeply personal, often describing real or literary people and places important to Greek culture. Common themes include uncertainty about the future, the enjoyment of life’s pleasures, the moral and emotional lives of people, same-sex love, and a longing for the past that cannot be changed. His poems also show great skill in writing, which is hard to translate. Cavafy was very careful with his work, often revising every line until it was perfect. His mature style used a free iambic form, meaning lines rarely rhyme and usually have 10 to 17 syllables. When his poems do rhyme, it often means he is being ironic.

Cavafy’s themes came from his own life and his deep knowledge of history, especially the Hellenistic period. Many of his poems are based on real events but are written in a way that feels fictional or unusual.

One of Cavafy’s most important poems is “Waiting for the Barbarians,” written in 1904. It describes a city waiting for the arrival of the barbarians, who never come. The poem ends with the line: “What is to become of us without barbarians? Those people were a solution of a sort.” This poem influenced other works, such as The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati (1940), The Opposing Shore by Julien Gracq (1951), and Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee (1980).

In 1911, Cavafy wrote “Ithaca,” his most famous poem, inspired by the journey of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. The poem encourages readers to always think of Ithaca as their goal in life: “Keep Ithaca always in your mind. / Arriving there is what you’re destined for.” The journey itself is valuable, and even if Ithaca has no riches left, the journey itself is meaningful: “Ithaca gave you the marvelous journey.”

Most of Cavafy’s work was written in Greek, but his poetry was not widely recognized in Greece until 1935, when the first collection of his poems was published by Heracles Apostolidis. His style and language, which mixed two forms of Greek, drew criticism from Kostis Palamas, a famous poet of his time, who preferred simpler language.

Cavafy is known for his use of metaphors, his vivid descriptions of history, and his dedication to perfection. These qualities have made him a lasting figure in world literature.

Cavafy wrote over a dozen poems about historical figures and ordinary people. He was especially inspired by the Hellenistic era, with Alexandria as a central focus. Other poems are based on ancient Greek and Roman times, as well as the Byzantine era. Some poems reference myths, and many focus on periods of decline, such as the fall of Troy. Examples of his historical poems include “The Glory of the Ptolemies,” “In Sparta,” “Come, O King of Lacedaemonians,” “The First Step,” “In the Year 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 Western Libya,” “Of the Hebrews (A.D. 50),” “Tomb of Eurion,” “Tomb of Lanes,” “Myres: Alexandrian A.D. 340,” “Perilous Things,” “From the 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 in 610,” “Aemilianus Monae,” “Alexandrian, A.D. 628-655,” “In Church,” and “Morning Sea.” Some poems about Alexandria were left unfinished at his death.

Cavafy’s poems about love and sensuality express deep emotion and the joy of same-sex love, inspired by memories and reflections on the past. These poems often blend thoughts about the past and future. As poet George Kalogeris notes, these poems are also called “instructive” and include works that discuss themes like isolation (“The Walls”), duty (“Thermopylae”), and human dignity (“The God Abandons Antony”).

The poem “Thermopylae” recalls the famous battle where 300 Spartans and their allies fought the Persians, knowing they would lose. It shows the importance of duty and courage, even when failure is certain. At the end, a traitor named Ephialtes leads the Persians through a hidden path.

In another poem, “In the Year 200 B.C.,” Cavafy references a historical inscription about Alexander the Great and praises the Hellenistic era while criticizing narrow-minded views of Greek culture. In other poems, he shows uncertainty about whether the classical ideal or the Hellenistic era is better.

Another poem tells the story of a Greek trader from Samos who was sold into slavery in India and died on the Ganges River. He regrets his greed for wealth, which led him far from home, and longs to be surrounded by Greeks in the afterlife.

Museum

The apartment where poet Cavafy lived in Alexandria is on Lepsius Street. After the apartment was changed into a museum, the street was renamed Cavafy Street to honor the poet. The museum was created in 1992 by scholar Kostis Moskof, who worked as a cultural representative for the Greek Embassy in Cairo until 1998. After Cavafy died in 1933, the apartment became a low-cost lodging place. Later, it was rebuilt using old photographs to look like it did during Cavafy’s time. The Cavafy Museum has many books and writings. It holds some of Cavafy’s original drawings, manuscripts, and pictures of and by him. It also includes translations of his poems into 20 languages by 40 different scholars, as well as most of the 3,000 articles and writings about his poetry.

In popular culture

• Scottish songwriter Donovan used one of Cavafy's poems in his 1970 film There Is an Ocean.
• Cavafy, originally called Kavafis, is a 1996 film directed by Yannis Smaragdis that won awards. It is based on the life of the poet, stars Dimitris Katalifos, and includes music by Vangelis.
• Greek director Stelios Haralambopoulos made a 2006 documentary titled The Night Fernando Pessoa Met Constantine Cavafy. It imagines that Cavafy met with Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean.

• C. P. Cavafy is a character in the book series The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.
• American poet Mark Doty’s book My Alexandria uses images and ideas from Cavafy’s work to describe a modern version of Alexandria.
• Nobel Prize-winning Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk wrote an essay in The New York Times about how Cavafy’s poem The City changed how Pamuk sees and thinks about Istanbul, a city important to his own writing.

• The song The Afternoon Sun by Weddings Parties Anything is based on a poem of the same name by Cavafy.
• Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen adapted Cavafy’s poem The God Abandons Antony, which describes Mark Antony’s loss of Alexandria, into a song called Alexandra Leaving about lost love.

• Frank H. T. Rhodes gave his final speech at Cornell University in 1995. His speech was based on Cavafy’s poem Ithaca.

Works

During his lifetime, many of Cavafy's poems were published in pamphlets, privately printed booklets, and broadsheets. The first book containing his poems was titled "Ποιήματα" (Poiēmata, "Poems") and was published in Alexandria in 1935, after his death.

Books that include translations of Cavafy's poetry in English are:

• Poems by C. P. Cavafy, translated by John Mavrogordato (London: Chatto & Windus, 1978; first edition in 1951)
• The Complete Poems of Cavafy, translated by Rae Dalven, introduction by W. H. Auden (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961)
• The Greek Poems of C.P. Cavafy, translated by Memas Kolaitis (New York: Aristide D. Caratzas, Publisher, 1989; two volumes)
• Complete Poems by C P Cavafy, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn (Harper Press, 2013)
• Passions and Ancient Days – 21 New Poems, selected and translated by Edmund Keeley and George Savidis (London: The Hogarth 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, edited by George Savidis, revised edition (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992)
• Selected Poems of C. P. Cavafy, translated by Desmond O'Grady (Dublin: Dedalus, 1998)
• Before Time Could Change Them: The Complete Poems of Constantine P. Cavafy, translated by Theoharis C. Theoharis, foreword by Gore Vidal (New York: Harcourt, 2001)
• Poems by C. P. Cavafy, translated by J.C. Cavafy (Athens: Ikaros, 2003)
• I've Gazed So 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 Collected Poems, translated by Evangelos Sachperoglou, edited by Anthony Hirst, with an introduction by Peter Mackridge (Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9608762707, 2007)
• The Collected Poems of C. P. Cavafy: A New Translation, translated by Aliki Barnstone, introduction by Gerald Stern (New York: W.W. Norton, 2007)
• C. P. Cavafy, Selected Poems, translated with an introduction by Avi Sharon (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2008)
• Cavafy: 166 Poems, translated by Alan L Boegehold (Axios Press, ISBN 1604190051, 2008)
• C. P. Cavafy, Collected Poems, translated by Daniel Mendelsohn (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009)
• C. P. Cavafy, Poems: The Canon, translated by John Chioles, edited by Dimitrios Yatromanolakis (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard Early Modern and Modern Greek Library, ISBN 9780674053267, 2011)
• C.P. Cavafy, Selected Poems, translated by David Connolly (Aiora Press, Athens, 2013)
• Clearing the Ground: C.P. Cavafy, Poetry and Prose, 1902-1911, translations and essay by Martin McKinsey (Chapel Hill: Laertes, 2015)

Translations of Cavafy's poems also appear in other works, such as:

• Justine by Lawrence Durrell (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 1957)
• Modern Greek Poetry, edited by Kimon Friar (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1973)
• Cavafy as I knew him by Memas Kolaitis (Santa Barbara, CA: Kolaitis Dictionaries, 1980)
• Collected Poems by James Merrill (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002)
• Bewilderment by David Ferry (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2012)
• Landing Light by Don Paterson (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 2003)
• Adaptations by Derek Mahon (Loughcrew, Ireland: The Gallery Press, 2006)
• Hapax by A.E. Stallings (Evanston, Illinois: Triquarterly Books, 2006)
• Rain by Don Paterson (London, UK: Faber & Faber, 2009)
• In the Wake of the Day by John