An archive of incalculable value
An archive open to all
Our mission is to preserve all archival materials relating to the celebrated poet and make them freely accessible to both researchers and the wider public through their digitization and thorough documentation.
The Cavafy archive – comprising with the correlated Singopoulo archive – consists of more than 2,000 archival items that include manuscripts, photographs and personal effects of the celebrated poet. The digital reproduction of all original archival materials was completed in 2017 (a total of 11,086 images). That same year, 158 microfilms storing the 1,963 photographic documentation of the archive – undertaken by the leading Modern Greek literature scholar, G. P. Savvidis – were also digitized (a total of 4,741 images). It is now the policy of the Archive to make these digitized items openly available and accessible in their entirety, in accordance with internationally recognized standards. The complete description and documentation of the archival materials allows for optimal searching and navigation through the digital archive, and for the application of new technologies.
An archive of incalculable value
Amongst the archival items are manuscripts of Cavafy’s poems, hand-compiled printed editions, prose literary works, articles, studies and notes by the poet. There are also translations of poems and notes of both a literary and a personal nature, not least the poet’s personal archive, rich in correspondence, texts that read like diary entries, photographs, and more. The Alekos and Rica Singopoulo archive – made up of materials relating to the poet collected by Alekos and Rica Singopoulo – forms a distinct archival unit containing materials regarding the literary and art journal "Alexandrini Techni", edited by A.G. Symeonidis and Rica Singopoulo under the frequent guidance of C. P. Cavafy.
The core of the archive was bequeathed by C. P. Cavafy to Alekos Singopoulo in 1933; the poet left no literary will indicating how he wanted his estate to be managed. Singopoulo initially managed the archive together with his first wife, Rica Singopoulo (née Agallianou); after his death, he bequeathed the archive to his second wife, Kyveli Singopoulo (née Trechantzaki). In 1948, the Cavafy scholar Michael Peridis attested the existence of the archive in his book "The Life and Work of Constantine Cavafy".
In 1969, control of the archive passed to G. P. Savvidis, a leading Modern Greek literature scholar who restored its unity to a large extent, retrieving manuscripts and other materials that had been separated from the collection. G. P. Savvidis undertook the gradual publication of the material with the help of other scholars (he had already set about photographing the archive in 1963, in collaboration with V. P. Panayiotopoulos). From 1995 onwards, the archive was managed by Manolis Savvidis, who incorporated it into the collections of the Center for Neo-Hellenic Studies and enriched it with both print and digital publications.
Between 1963 and 1994, the archive was managed by a leading Modern Greek literature scholar, G. P. Savvidis
The Onassis Foundation’s vision for the Cavafy Archive
The Onassis Foundation’s vision for the Cavafy Archive, which it acquired in 2012, centres on providing free and open access to its materials, and on bolstering education through archival resources. The design and delivery of a digital collection for the archive, open to everyone, serves this vision.
The Cavafy Archive supports a range of educational programmes directed at the Greek and international academic community, and the general public, with an emphasis on young people. Since 2017, the International Cavafy Summer School – the first annual program dedicated exclusively to C. P. Cavafy and his work, and open to both Greek and international scholars – has formed an important part of this initiative. To date, research seminars, educational events for adults, and workshops for secondary school pupils (the “Cavafy Goes to School” initiative) have all been organized as part of this same drive.
The Foundation has also awarded grants to candidates researching Cavafy Studies as part of its Scholarships Program for Greek and international academics, and is committed to offering more such endowments for Cavafy Studies over the coming years, with a view to supporting the field and connecting it with other relevant academic disciplines.
Last but not least, the preservation of the physical archive is of particular concern for all involved. This is why the Onassis Foundation is working together with the General State Archives of Greece – the country’s leading institution for archival policy – for the ongoing conservation and restoration of all materials held as part of the Cavafy archive.