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and many other smaller collections are invaluable resources for
students and visiting scholars not only in Modern Greek, but also
in Comparative Literature.
The correspondence between the great Greek poet George Seferis
and Edmund Keeley, published here for the first time, 17 takes us
through twenty years (1951–1971) of literary collaboration and friendship.
Keeley’s introductory essay and the actual letters also provide
insight into the unique problems relating to literary translation,
as well as the problem of creating an audience for the poet in the
English-speaking world. The letters also record Seferis’s emergence
as the conscience of his country during the difficult days of the
military dictatorship (1967–1974).
In the first half of the period covered, George Seferis, a member
of the Greek diplomatic corps, moved from London to the Middle
East, Cyprus, Athens, New York, and back to London, retiring as
ambassador to England (“George Seferis” was the pen name of the
diplomat George Seferiades). He spent the last ten years of his life
in Greece, except for a few trips, including two to Princeton, first
in 1965 to receive an honorary doctorate and second in 1968 to
take up residence at the Institute for Advanced Study. Keeley’s
introductory essay and the letters provide an outline of Seferis’s
preoccupations and concerns during his time in the United States.
While in Princeton, Seferis wrote his famous Cheirographo Okt. ’68
(Manuscript Oct. ’68), a scathing critique of the Greek junta, censorship,
and the present human condition. He also wrote one of
his last poems, “Letter to Rex Warner,” which Keeley was asked
to translate after the poet returned to Athens. The following excerpt
evokes the atmosphere and landscape that Seferis encountered
in Princeton where his friend, the novelist and translator Rex
Warner, visited him:
Years went by and I found you again
on soil lush with vegetation,
where poison ivy sometimes lies in wait
and studious children learn
to unravel wise books
and the labyrinth of love.
17 A Greek edition of the correspondence will be published in Athens by Agra Publishers in
the autumn of 1997.
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