Cavafy Archive Research Seminar Series for 2018-19

From the archive to the research: the contribution of bibliography research to the Cavafian studies

Based on bibliographical research the seminar will examine the various stages of the reception of the work of Cavafy and the contribution of critical studies on Cavafy to research that focuses on the archive.

Dimitris Daskalopoulos: Poet, Bibliographer, Critic
Moderated by Yannis Papatheodorou and Michalis Chryssanthopoulos

The Cavafy Archive and the literary scene of the interwar period

In the seminar we will examine the links between Cavafy’s archive and the archives of other writers in the interwar period. Cavafy’s traces in other archives, such as dedications, letters, clippings or books, speak about the structures of the literary scene in the interwar period, and show us the gradual, symbolic prestige the poet’s personality gained during this time, not only in the intellectual life of Alexandria but also in the cultural center of Athens.

Christina Dounia: Professor of Modern Greek literature University of Athens
Moderated by Yannis Papatheodorou

Dancing in the Dark: Attempts to Reconstruct Cavafy’s Life from Fragments

The problems facing Cavafy's biographers have included the paucity, non-availability and indecipherability of reliable records. The seminar will show how it has still been possible to carry out original research, with implications for future readings of digitized manuscripts and interpretation of the extant material.

Sarah Ekdawi: Researcher at the University of Oxford
Moderation: Michalis Chryssanthopoulos and Thodoris Chiotis

The seminar will be held in English

The Archive and the transformations of Nature in Cavafy’s work

In the seminar we will examine what the Archive tells us about the transformations of Nature in the Cavafian poetry. It is generally admitted, that Nature plays a restricted role in Cavafy’s canon. We will try to explore this topic, looking for the genealogy of Nature in his rejected and unpublished poems. And we will see how the Archive could show different aspects of the poet’s art.

Anastasia Natsina: Assistant Professor of Modern Greek Literature, Department of Philology, University of Crete
Moderation: Yannis Papatheodorou