158 and 88 years after the poet’s birth and death respectively, the Onassis Foundation invites a young Greek rapper to recite four poems written by C. P. Cavafy. Saske immerses himself in Cavafy’s lyrics, navigating the thoughts that the poet captured on paper. Next to this, the internationally acclaimed animator Andreas Karaoulanis invests these readings with image and sound, rounding off the experience.
The poet Constantine Cavafy was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on April 17, 1863 and passed away on April 29, 1933, creating a notable coincidence in the registry: a full life circle. Already from the beginning of the 20th century, he started writing poems about love, death, violence, the intoxication of power and the failure of high ideals. The particularity of his poetry, his quirky character and his solitary living, deprived of electricity and telephone, comprised a unique case that deviated from his era’s usual standards. Slowly but steadily, his poetry started expanding both to the Egyptian communities and the Greek mainland alike, engaging fervent supporters, but also fanatic opponents.
C. P. Cavafy collected and archived his work on a systematic basis, hence creating a unique literary and personal archive. The CAVAFY ARCHIVE consists of manuscripts of poems, hand-compiled printed editions, prose literary works, articles, studies and notes by the poet.
more info here:
https://www.onassis.org/news/158-years-since-the-birth-of-c-p-cavafy-four-poems-by-the-alexandrian-poet
behind the scenes: