Cavafy, << kah VAH fee, >> Constantine (1863-1933), was an Egyptian-born Greek poet who developed a distinctive personal style and became a leading figure in modern Greek literature. He wrote in a strange mixture of formal Greek, called katharevousa, and everyday, or demotic, Greek. His poetry is noted for its many touches of self-mockery, gentle irony, and reluctance to allow its author to figure too prominently. Cavafy’s poetry deals with a number of themes. Much of his work draws for its subject matter on Greek history from the time of Alexander the Great to the coming of the Turks, often treating it in a lyrical manner. Other work relates to his personal experiences of homosexual relationships and his ridicule of patriotism and traditional Christian values.
Cavafy was born on April 17, 1863, in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria. His real name was Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis. After Cavafy’s father, a prosperous merchant from Constantinople (now Istanbul), died in 1870, the family moved to England. In 1879, Cavafy and his family returned to Alexandria. He wrote much of his poetry after he was 40 years old and while working as a clerk in the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation. His poems on the subject of homosexual love are set in the city of Alexandria, like most of his work. Cavafy died on April 29, 1933.
Cavafy wrote about 300 poems but published only 154 during his lifetime. Some appeared in magazines, but he circulated many more privately to his friends. The first collected edition of his verse Poiemata was not available until 1935, after his death. Poems, an English translation, appeared in 1951. A collection of unpublished poems, Anecdota poiemata 1882-1923, first appeared in Greek in 1968, with a translation of part of it as Passions and Ancient Days: Twenty One New Poems in 1972. The Complete Poems of Cavafy was published in 1976.
