The Greek Diaspora on Cavafy (150th Anniversary of Cavafy's Birth); The Year of Cavafy

The Cavafy Forum

Read the contributions.

Update December 2013 (more essays)

Cavafy was born on 29 April, 1863 (New Style; 17 April, 1863, Old Style).

His father, Peter John Cavafy, had British nationality (Certifcate of Naturalisation, August 13, 1850).

The Year of Cavafy (in Greek)

The Year of Cavafy (English article)

The Cavafy Archive

Poetry in Greek and English

I've been re-reading Robert Liddell's 1974 biography of Cavafy. Here's a sample of his description of Cavafy's mother and father, to illustrate his style:

"Their floruit was short but brilliant. We are told that Haricleia was soon recognised as one of the most beautiful women in Alexandria. This is hard to believe from a photograph in which she looks like a ball of black suet. An earlier photograph taken in London (probably about 1851) shows the profile of a charming nose, and the mouth is pretty- she was already inclined to embonpoint, but that would render her no less attractive to eastern eyes. She must have made a striking contrast with her tall, fair husband."

Forms of Cosmopolitanism in Cavafy, Karen Van Dyck