C. P. Cavafy in Paris: A Journey of Apprenticeship

How did Paris influence C. P. Cavafy? How was his work read and reinterpreted by major figures of French letters, such as Marguerite Yourcenar? How was his poetry disseminated and taught by eminent scholars of Modern Greek studies, such as Hubert Pernot and André Mirambel? The Paris of 1897 emerges through C. P. Cavafy’s letters and travel notes, as well as through valuable archival documents tracing his travels.

A two-day scientific conference brings to the fore the relationship between the Alexandrian poet and the French capital. Francophone scholars of Modern Greek studies and researchers will ‘map’ the historical and artistic environment of the era, examining Cavafy’s erudition in French literature, his love for the French language, and the reception of his work by the French public.

Organized under the auspices of the Department of Philology of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the conference is co-organized with the Institut Néohellénique de la Sorbonne and INALCO in Paris—institutions that have hosted distinguished scholars and influential university teachers, such as Hubert Pernot, André Mirambel, and C. Th. Dimaras, among others, who shaped the reception of Cavafy’s work by the European readers and international critics. A central objective of the conference is the exploration of the poet’s relationship with the European literary movements of the late 19th century (Symbolism, Aestheticism) as a decisive condition in shaping his poetry.

ORGANIZED BY

Institut Néohellénique de la Sorbonne, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), Cavafy Archive, Onassis Foundation.

CURATORIAL COMMITEE

Martha Vassiliadi, Associate Professor of Modern Greek Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Alkisti Sofou, Maîtresse de conférences, Department of Greek Studies, Sorbonne University, Paris

Georges Kostakiotis, Maître de conférences, INALCO, Paris

GUEST SPEAKERS

Dimitris Angelatos, Professor of Modern Greek Literature and Literary Theory, Faculty of Philology, Department of Modern Greek Literature, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Maria Boletsi, Endowed Professor of Modern Greek Studies, University of Amsterdam (Marilena Laskaridis Chair), and Associate Professor of Comparative Literature, Leiden University (The Netherlands)

Christina Dounia, Emerita Professor of Modern Greek Literature, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Georges Kostakiotis, Maître de conférences, INALCO, Paris

André-Alain Morello, Emeritus Associate Professor of French Literature, University of Toulon

Melina Moschou, PhD candidate in Comparative Literature, Sorbonne University, Paris

Ioulia Pipinia, Professor of Theatre Studies, Department of Drama, Faculty of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Filippo-Maria Pontani, Professor of Classical Philology, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (Italy)

Pierre Pontier, Maître de conférences in Ancient Greek Philology, Sorbonne University, Paris

Alkisti Sofou, Maîtresse de conférences, Department of Greek Studies, Sorbonne University, Paris

Evanghélia Stead, Professor of Comparative Literature and Print Culture, University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ), Paris-Saclay University

Polina Tambakaki, Research Fellow at the Centre for Hellenic Studies (CHS), King’s College London

Martha Vassiliadi, Associate Professor of Modern Greek Literature, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki