Konstantinos Kavafis

“As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery”.

These are the first lines from the poem “Ithaca” by Konstantinos Kavafis, the famous greek poet.

Konstantinos Kavafis (1863-1933) is one of the better known Greek poets of the 20th century. Born of Greek parents in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1863, he was their ninth and last child.

His only known formal education was a brief enrollment in the Hermis Lyceum, a commercial school in Alexandria. Appointed clerk in the Ministry of Public Works in Alexandria in 1892, he held this position until his retirement in 1922. He died in Alexandria in 1933.

Almost all of Konstantinos Kavafis‘ work was in Greek; yet, his poetry remained unrecognized in Greece until after the publication of his first anthology in 1935. He is known for his prosaic use of metaphors, his briliant use of historical imagery, and his aesthetic perfectionism. These attributes, amongst others, have assure him of an enduring place in the literary pantheon of the Western World.

Read more about Konstantinos Kavafis:

• Kavafis and his work