Title of the sculpture: Konstantinos Kavafis (Constantine P. Cavafy)

Location: Egypt Square

Construction: 1982

Material: Brass

Sculptor: Kostas Valsamis

Description: A brass portrait of the Alexandrian poet Konstantinos Kavafis (Constantine P. Cavafy) on a marble pedestal bearing the inscription «ΠΑΝΤΑ ΣΤΟ ΝΟΥ ΣΟΥ ΝΑ’ΧΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΙΘΑΚΗ» ("ALWAYS KEEP ITHACA IN YOUR MIND").

A few words about the Poet: Konstantinos Kavafis (Constantine P. Cavafy) was born on April 29, 1863, in the Greek community of Alexandria, where he died on the same day, in 1933. He is the leading poet of the Greek periphery writing in Greek. He created a poetry that was intensely personal, free of traditional lyrical forms, short, descriptive, with vividness, excellent linguistic accuracy, simplicity and subtle irony, but also a deep sense of the tragic. His language is completely idiosyncratic, as it has nothing to do with the standard "poetic" vernacular, but despite the frequent use of types of formal language, it is also far from it as well. His poems are usually divided into three categories: historical / mythological in which well-known historical figures or figments of his imagination are protagonists, with references to aspects of Homeric, Hellenistic and Byzantine times; philosophical; and erotic. His widely known poetic works include Candles, Walls, Thermopylae, Waiting for the Barbarians, Ithaca, etc. Today his poetry occupies a central place in modern Greek literature and is prominent in world literature as well.

A few words about the Sculptor: The sculptor Kostas Valsamis (1908 - 2003) studied sculpture at the Athens and the Paris School of Fine Arts. In 1980, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, and since 1987 he has been a corresponding member of the French Academy of Fine Arts.

Sources:
Politis, L. (2017). History of Modern Greek Literature. Athens: M.I.E.T. (NBG Cultural Foundation) p. 227, 230, 234
Learning Object K.P. Kavafis. (2023). Interactive School Books - Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs
Antonopoulou, Z. (2003). The sculptures of Athens: Open Air Sculpture 1834 - 2004. Athens: Potamos