Yale University Press
George Seferis: Waiting for the Angel, A Biography
Key Metrics
- Roderick Beaton
- Yale University Press
- Paperback
- 9780300197563
- 9.21 X 6.14 X 1.1 inches
- 1.67 pounds
- Biography & Autobiography > Literary Figures
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
The first biography in any language of one of the world's greatest modernist poets
Poet, essayist, diarist, novelist, and diplomat, George Seferis brought about a revolution in the way people viewed his native Greece. Acclaimed for his thought-provoking lyric poetry, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1963. At the same time, he rose in the diplomatic corps to the position of Ambassador to Britain. This elegantly written book--the first full biography of Seferis--provides insights into his work, life, and country. Roderick Beaton, an acknowledged authority on modern Greek literature and culture, draws on previously unknown sources to tell Seferis's story. He describes how Seferis occupied key diplomatic positions during periods of historic crisis before, during, and after World War II. He explores Seferis's service as Ambassador to London at a time when Greece and Great Britain were disputing the future of Cyprus, noting that some of Seferis's finest poetry was written about that troubled island. He analyzes Seferis's literary production and his impact on Lawrence Durrell, Henry Miller, and other British and American writers. Exploring the interplay between poet and diplomat, public and private, and poetry and politics in Seferis's life and career, this book will fascinate anyone interested in twentieth-century Greek literature, culture, or history.
Author Bio
Roderick Beaton grew up in Edinburgh where he first studied Latin and ancient Greek before going on to Peterhouse, Cambridge, to graduate with a BA in English Literature and a PhD in Modern Greek. He came to King’s in 1981, first as Lecturer in Modern Greek Language and Literature, and then from 1988 until his retirement in 2018 as Koraes Professor.
For ten years he headed the Department of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies (whose functions since 2015 have been taken over by the Department of Classics), and from 2012 to 2018 was Director of the Centre for Hellenic Studies.
He is a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA, 2013), a Fellow of King’s College (FKC, 2018), Commander of the Order of Honour of the Hellenic Republic (2019) and, from September to December 2021, has been appointed A.G. Leventis Visiting Professor in Greek at the University of Edinburgh.
Teaching
Myth and modern literature; nations and nationalism in the Hellenic world; Romanticism and the making of modern Greece; Classical reception in modern Greece; and (at MA level) the history of the Greek novel in comparative context.
Expertise and public engagement
I frequently appear in Greek national press and on national radio, as well as many online appearances. I am actively involved in the organization of events in Greece, the UK and elsewhere to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution in 2021, and have already recorded extensive interviews for several TV and film documentaries on the subject.
I am available to the talk to the media about any aspect of current affairs or the modern history and culture of Greece or Cyprus.
Source: King's College London, U.K.
Videos
Community reviews
Write a ReviewNo Community reviews