| ISBN | 9780199555956 |
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The Collected Poems with parallel Greek text (Oxford World’s Classics) – Softcover
€12.05
‘a Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe’ E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster’s description of C. P. Cavafy (1863-1933) perfectly encapsulates the unique perspective Cavafy brought to bear on history and geography, sexuality and language in his poems. Cavafy writes about people on the periphery, whose religious, ethnic and cultural identities are blurred, and he was one of the pioneers in expressing a specifically homosexual sensibility. His poems present brief and vivid evocations of historical scenes and sensual moments, often infused with his distinctive sense of irony. They have established him as one of the most important poets of the twentieth century.
This volume presents the most authentic Greek text of the 154 authorized poems ever published, together with a new English translation that conveys the accent and rhythm of Cavafy’s individual tone of voice.
Cavafy is the most widely known and best loved modern Greek poet. This volume presents the most authentic Greek text of the 154 authorized poems ever published, with a new English translation that faithfully conveys the rhythms and the Greek accent of Cavafy’s individual voice.
The Greek text is the first to be based wherever possible on Cavafy’s own final printings of his poems and is the most authentic Greek text ever to be published.
The English translation by Evangelos Sachperoglou preserves Cavafy’s tone of voice and the rhythms of his poetry and is more faithful to the original than most other translations.
The Introduction is the most comprehensive ever published to accompany an edition of the poems, and dicusses their themes and the literary and historical context. Explanatory Notes gloss Greek historical names and historical events alluded to in the poems. A Chronological List of Poems provides a helpful guide to composition history and there are indexes of Greek and English titles.
