Page 70 - SMCK Magazine #4

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Photograph of a reproduction of an etching by the engraver Jean Kefalinos, depicting Cavafy in 1921. © 2016-2018 Cavafy Archive, Onassis Foundation.
C.P.CAVAFY'S MARVELOUS JOURNEY IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
THE CAVAFY ARCHIVE IN ATHENS SAFEGUARDS AND PROMOTES THE POET’S LEGACY
By Marianna Christofi, Cavafy Archive
All archival items in this article are re- produced by kind permission of the Cavafy Archive, Onassis Foundation.
Born on April 29, 1863, in Alexandria, Egypt, where he died on the same day in 1933, Constantine P. Cavafy is the leading poet of the periphery, writing in Greek from the diaspora. His poems often fea- ture historical figures or creations of the poet’s imagination, with frequent references to elements of Homeric, Hellenistic, and Byzantine eras. Today his poetry comprises a discrete pole in Greek literature and he enjoys a prominent place in world literature as well, having been translated in several languages.
C. P. Cavafy collected and archived his work on a systematic basis, hence creating a unique literary and personal archive. Amongst the archival items are manuscripts of Cavafy’s poems, hand-compiled printed editions, prose literary works, articles, studies and notes by the poet, photographs, and more. Ca- vafy himself spoke and wrote “English, French and a little Ita-