num_pages: 288
description: "A Greek gentleman in a straw hat, standing absolutely motionless at a slight angle to the universe." E. M. Forster's famous description of C. P. Cavafy--the most widely known and best loved modern Greek poet--perfectly captures the unique perspective Cavafy brought to bear on history andgeography, sexuality and language. Cavafy wrote 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 andsensual moments, often infused with his distinctive sense of irony. They have established him as one of the most important poets of the twentieth century. The only bilingual edition of Cavafy's collected poems currently available, this volume presents the most authentic Greek text of every poem heever published, together with a new English translation that beautifully conveys the accent and rhythm of Cavafy's individual tone of voice. In addition, the volume includes an extensive introduction by Peter Mackridge, explanatory notes that gloss Greek historical names and events alluded to in thepoems, a chronological list of the poems, and indexes of Greek and English titles.
language: English
title: The Collected Poems: with parallel Greek text
titlecomplete: The Collected Poems: with parallel Greek text (Oxford World's Classics)
genres: Fiction, Egypt, Poetry, Greece, LGBT, Queer, Literature, Classics, 19th Century, 20th Century
ratings_count: 4216
awards: awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Lambda Literary Award
category: Gay Poetry
publisher: Oxford University Press