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Constantine Cavafy: A New Biography
A long-awaited and much-anticipated biography of one of the great modern poets.
In 1933, on his seventieth birthday, the poet Constantine Cavafy died in an Alexandrian hospital, surrounded by friends. He left behind a small, curated oeuvre of 154 poems, along with fragments and drafts of incomplete works. Throughout his life, Constantine had kept a tight grip on the distribution of his poetry, but after his death his reputation grew and Constantine became the august C. P. Cavafy, a writer known not only as a great composer of Hellenic verse—the man whose poems reshaped the Greek language—but also as a global poet whose writing transcends its geographic origins and is to this day widely loved and translated.
This long-awaited study captures the complexities of Constantine Cavafy’s life and work, showing him to have been a troubled, brilliant poet who sacrificed love for his art. In rich detail, Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys chronicle the young poet’s life with his family, the vicissitudes of their fortunes, and their eventual poverty after they left Egypt and moved successively to Liverpool, London, and Istanbul. The biography then centers on Constantine’s adulthood in his beloved Alexandria, the city that nourished his imagination and became for him a metaphor for modern life. Deep archival research uncovers the poet’s relationships with his teenage companions, his friends of middle age, and the individuals whom in later life he enlisted in his steadfast pursuit of fame.
Constantine A New Biography looks closely at Cavafy’s artistic journey, from his early poetic experiments to his startling reinvention in middle age, when he renounced much of what he had written and developed a new poetics. Erotic, philosophical, and linguistically suggestive, this widely imitated yet singular style is now recognized and revered as Cavafian.
In 1933, on his seventieth birthday, the poet Constantine Cavafy died in an Alexandrian hospital, surrounded by friends. He left behind a small, curated oeuvre of 154 poems, along with fragments and drafts of incomplete works. Throughout his life, Constantine had kept a tight grip on the distribution of his poetry, but after his death his reputation grew and Constantine became the august C. P. Cavafy, a writer known not only as a great composer of Hellenic verse—the man whose poems reshaped the Greek language—but also as a global poet whose writing transcends its geographic origins and is to this day widely loved and translated.
This long-awaited study captures the complexities of Constantine Cavafy’s life and work, showing him to have been a troubled, brilliant poet who sacrificed love for his art. In rich detail, Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys chronicle the young poet’s life with his family, the vicissitudes of their fortunes, and their eventual poverty after they left Egypt and moved successively to Liverpool, London, and Istanbul. The biography then centers on Constantine’s adulthood in his beloved Alexandria, the city that nourished his imagination and became for him a metaphor for modern life. Deep archival research uncovers the poet’s relationships with his teenage companions, his friends of middle age, and the individuals whom in later life he enlisted in his steadfast pursuit of fame.
Constantine A New Biography looks closely at Cavafy’s artistic journey, from his early poetic experiments to his startling reinvention in middle age, when he renounced much of what he had written and developed a new poetics. Erotic, philosophical, and linguistically suggestive, this widely imitated yet singular style is now recognized and revered as Cavafian.
586 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 12, 2025
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120 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 2, 2025
My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
At first glance, Cavafy might seem to be an unlikely candidate for an international literary sensation: a not-too-prolific poet writing in a minor language in a provincial town whose claim to fame lay millennia in the past, on the outskirts of two imperial projects (Greek and British) that were crumbling around him, in a world of global trade and culture that was becoming more exclusivist and nationalistic throughout his lifetime to eventually leave little room for his various hyphenated identities and make his brand of an “Egyptian Anglo-Greek with Constantinopolitan roots” an increasingly less viable option. In this new biography, Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys seek to outline how Cavafy thwarted the odds and became the literary icon that he is, and they do so not by painting him as an outlier or a lone path-breaking genius but by contextualizing him as a product of his heritage, cultural and literary preoccupations, and milieu. His obsessive literary interest in cultural displacement and the ennui of living on the ruins, among departing or departed gods, are pinned to historical experiences of the era: the bombardment of Alexandria by the British navy that made the Cavafy family refugees for a while; the experience of living in Alexandria, with its Hellenistic past an invisible and immaterial ghost, etc.
While very thorough in its outlines of Cavafy’s friendships, family relations, reading and more, the text does not feel bogged down in details and is very stylishly written, with great turns of phrase like:
There are certain pages in his life that I’d like more details on (his friendship with Forster is one), and I’m not sure if we actually come any closer to answering the question of how he made it (for example, his dithering between self-promotion and indifference to translations, as well as his often off-putting self-centeredness do not seem helpful ingredients for success), but it was a fascinating read.
For further reading and an in-depth analysis of Cavafy’s literary strategies, I can recommend Daniel Mendelsohn’s richly annotated C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems.
At first glance, Cavafy might seem to be an unlikely candidate for an international literary sensation: a not-too-prolific poet writing in a minor language in a provincial town whose claim to fame lay millennia in the past, on the outskirts of two imperial projects (Greek and British) that were crumbling around him, in a world of global trade and culture that was becoming more exclusivist and nationalistic throughout his lifetime to eventually leave little room for his various hyphenated identities and make his brand of an “Egyptian Anglo-Greek with Constantinopolitan roots” an increasingly less viable option. In this new biography, Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys seek to outline how Cavafy thwarted the odds and became the literary icon that he is, and they do so not by painting him as an outlier or a lone path-breaking genius but by contextualizing him as a product of his heritage, cultural and literary preoccupations, and milieu. His obsessive literary interest in cultural displacement and the ennui of living on the ruins, among departing or departed gods, are pinned to historical experiences of the era: the bombardment of Alexandria by the British navy that made the Cavafy family refugees for a while; the experience of living in Alexandria, with its Hellenistic past an invisible and immaterial ghost, etc.
While very thorough in its outlines of Cavafy’s friendships, family relations, reading and more, the text does not feel bogged down in details and is very stylishly written, with great turns of phrase like:
For a lifelong smoker living in a city known for its production of fine Egyptian tobacco, Constantine’s existence was seemingly bound by paper— cigarette paper and writing paper.
There are certain pages in his life that I’d like more details on (his friendship with Forster is one), and I’m not sure if we actually come any closer to answering the question of how he made it (for example, his dithering between self-promotion and indifference to translations, as well as his often off-putting self-centeredness do not seem helpful ingredients for success), but it was a fascinating read.
For further reading and an in-depth analysis of Cavafy’s literary strategies, I can recommend Daniel Mendelsohn’s richly annotated C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems.
March 28, 2025
A few years ago, I discovered Cavafy while reading about Auden, and as a person of Greek descent, his work instantly resonated with me. I spent months hunting down a rare Russian edition, captivated by the promise of his poetic world. Yet, despite my best efforts, I never quite felt connected—until now.
This biography by Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys transformed my relationship with Cavafy. It wasn’t just another recounting of dates and events; it was a thematic exploration that brought the man behind the poems to life. I found myself reaching for the well-worn volumes on my shelf, finally feeling and understanding everything I’d been reading all these years.
Admittedly, the narrative sometimes meanders—every other passage, the authors indulge in cinematic, romantic musings about Cavafy’s elusive love interests. Yet, rather than detracting from the work, these digressions add a dreamlike quality that mirrors the poet’s own enigmatic nature. I wholeheartedly understand the temptation to romanticize his life, and I might have done the same.
What truly impressed me was the structure of the book. Rather than following a straightforward chronological path, the thematic approach allowed me to appreciate not only Cavafy as a person but also the vibrant tapestry of the Greek diaspora across Alexandria, Constantinople, Britain, and Europe. This broader cultural context enriched my understanding of the poet’s world and deepened the impact of his verses.
While the book is undeniably dense, every page rewards the careful reader. I barely managed to finish it in the 60 days allotted for the advanced reader copy—a journey that was as challenging as it was satisfying. For anyone willing to invest the time, I recommend pairing it with a volume of Cavafy’s poetry and exploring the wealth of material available through the online Onassis Foundation. This combination truly brings the full spectrum of Cavafy’s genius to life.
A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy that made this journey possible.
This biography by Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys transformed my relationship with Cavafy. It wasn’t just another recounting of dates and events; it was a thematic exploration that brought the man behind the poems to life. I found myself reaching for the well-worn volumes on my shelf, finally feeling and understanding everything I’d been reading all these years.
Admittedly, the narrative sometimes meanders—every other passage, the authors indulge in cinematic, romantic musings about Cavafy’s elusive love interests. Yet, rather than detracting from the work, these digressions add a dreamlike quality that mirrors the poet’s own enigmatic nature. I wholeheartedly understand the temptation to romanticize his life, and I might have done the same.
What truly impressed me was the structure of the book. Rather than following a straightforward chronological path, the thematic approach allowed me to appreciate not only Cavafy as a person but also the vibrant tapestry of the Greek diaspora across Alexandria, Constantinople, Britain, and Europe. This broader cultural context enriched my understanding of the poet’s world and deepened the impact of his verses.
While the book is undeniably dense, every page rewards the careful reader. I barely managed to finish it in the 60 days allotted for the advanced reader copy—a journey that was as challenging as it was satisfying. For anyone willing to invest the time, I recommend pairing it with a volume of Cavafy’s poetry and exploring the wealth of material available through the online Onassis Foundation. This combination truly brings the full spectrum of Cavafy’s genius to life.
A heartfelt thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy that made this journey possible.
September 22, 2025
Reading Cavafy’s biography gave his poems deeper resonance for me. Suddenly the voice I’d been hearing on the page had a life and world behind it.
July 5, 2025
There is something fascinating to me about reading the biography of a writer. When did they ‘decide’ to be a writer? How did success come? What sort of person were they? As a poet, Constantine Cavafy left a smallish number of poems. Reading this book it’s easy to see why. It’s almost like Cavafy was trying to make his life difficult. He was championed by big names (EM Forster and Leonard Woolf among them) but wouldn’t cooperate with them to get his work out.
Understandably, he was sensitive about translations from his carefully chosen Greek, but it meant he never got the success he warranted outside his country during his life. Indeed, he created problems for himself inside Greece as well.
When a critic declared that Cavafy "stood among the rank of world poets like Rimbaud, Mallarme, Heine, and Shelley", supporters of traditional Greek poetry were annoyed and attacked Cavafy and his supporters.
Cavafy had created a “scriptorium" in his flat where he spent hours assembling and arranging and printing hand prepared copies of his poems. That’s when you realise why he wasn’t better known. He physically created his own self bound volumes of his work!
This is a beautiful biography and Mr Jusdanis and Mr Jeffreys show us a true ‘warts and all’ picture of a genius at work and I, for one, am very grateful.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.
Understandably, he was sensitive about translations from his carefully chosen Greek, but it meant he never got the success he warranted outside his country during his life. Indeed, he created problems for himself inside Greece as well.
When a critic declared that Cavafy "stood among the rank of world poets like Rimbaud, Mallarme, Heine, and Shelley", supporters of traditional Greek poetry were annoyed and attacked Cavafy and his supporters.
Cavafy had created a “scriptorium" in his flat where he spent hours assembling and arranging and printing hand prepared copies of his poems. That’s when you realise why he wasn’t better known. He physically created his own self bound volumes of his work!
This is a beautiful biography and Mr Jusdanis and Mr Jeffreys show us a true ‘warts and all’ picture of a genius at work and I, for one, am very grateful.
I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley.
October 16, 2025
Constantine Cavafy is one of Greece’s most important literary figures and this comprehensive biography does him full justice. Meticulously and painstakingly researched, it’s biographical writing at its best, and will surely remain the definitive work about this most enigmatic of writers. Ambitious but rewarding, long but accessibly written, balanced and nuanced, it explores the life and the writing in great depth. Certainly it’s not an easy read and requires concentration and some persistence, but I took it slowly and carefully and gained so much knowledge and insight from it, as well as an understanding of the work that I very much needed and appreciated.
October 1, 2025
This is a rare and brilliant work that does justice to one of the most enigmatic poets of the modern era. Rather than simply recounting dates and events, the author manages to illuminate the strange paradoxes at the heart of Cavafy’s life: the tension between his public obscurity and his private genius. The book is as much about the man as it is about the poetry yet it never falls into the trap of reducing the work to the life.
This is the kind of biography that does not merely inform but deepens one’s relationship with the work itself.
This is the kind of biography that does not merely inform but deepens one’s relationship with the work itself.
February 18, 2026
Reading Cavafy, A New Biography, I found myself thoughtfully led through the vignettes of the poet’s life: his family and friends, the “dreamscape” of his culturally rich and tumultuous home in Alexandria—the window of his poetics, and the chosen lines he cast to cultivate his fame. This was my first encounter with the work of C.P. Cavafy. And as I watched these vignettes stretch across the biography’s arc, I felt, at its core, that Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys effectively set before me the poet’s shade.
The biography weaves many of Cavafy’s poems into its pages, the authors allowing Constantine’s voice and verse to stitch together their thematic exploration of his worldview. For me personally, particularly memorable examples of this are discussions of the poems Ithaka and Caesarion. While the biography may certainly stand alone, easily readable in its flowing narrative and lucid prose, it also pairs perfectly with a full collection of Cavafy’s poetry. I recommend this recollection not only to those who feel drawn to the life of this enigmatic man, but also to anyone interested in an unorthodox lens of the tri-continental, global zenith that is Alexandria.
For those interested specifically in the homoerotic, the historical, or the philosophical themes of Cavafy—you will find the origins of all three braided here in these layers of his memory. Fittingly, the book begins and ends with dedications to the poet’s first biographer and loyal friend, Rika Sengopoulos, who captured Constantine’s essence in the original penned title for her own composition: Cavafy in Slippers. I think Jusdanis and Jeffreys do a remarkable job of encircling this essence: capturing the poet’s cyclic nature, as he shuffles through the city and returns again and again to the shadows of his apartment, amidst his books, with company, and behind the carefully placed light of his candles.
The biography weaves many of Cavafy’s poems into its pages, the authors allowing Constantine’s voice and verse to stitch together their thematic exploration of his worldview. For me personally, particularly memorable examples of this are discussions of the poems Ithaka and Caesarion. While the biography may certainly stand alone, easily readable in its flowing narrative and lucid prose, it also pairs perfectly with a full collection of Cavafy’s poetry. I recommend this recollection not only to those who feel drawn to the life of this enigmatic man, but also to anyone interested in an unorthodox lens of the tri-continental, global zenith that is Alexandria.
For those interested specifically in the homoerotic, the historical, or the philosophical themes of Cavafy—you will find the origins of all three braided here in these layers of his memory. Fittingly, the book begins and ends with dedications to the poet’s first biographer and loyal friend, Rika Sengopoulos, who captured Constantine’s essence in the original penned title for her own composition: Cavafy in Slippers. I think Jusdanis and Jeffreys do a remarkable job of encircling this essence: capturing the poet’s cyclic nature, as he shuffles through the city and returns again and again to the shadows of his apartment, amidst his books, with company, and behind the carefully placed light of his candles.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews