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St Hugh’s hosts an evening of Cavafy with Oxford Professor of Poetry

On Tuesday 20 February, St Hugh’s College welcomed Oxford Professor of Poetry, A E Stallings (pictured on the right), to preside over an evening dedicated to the work of Greek poet Constantine Cavafy. After a welcome by our Principal, Lady Elish Angiolini, the event in the Maplethorpe Building Suite began with a short lecture by Professor Stallings on translation and homophonic rhyme, focusing in particular on various translations of On an Italian Shore. As part of this presentation there was a live recitation of James Merrill’s translation read by our Bursar, Gareth Prior.

After the lecture, the hundred-strong audience enjoyed readings of 12 more of Cavafy’s most famous poems, including The God Abandons Anthony (read by Sir Nicholas Underhill), Afternoon Sun (read by Clare Mulley), and Ithaca (read by Julius Grower), some of which were read in English and then in modern Greek. The formal event concluded with a drinks reception at which attendees had the chance to meet the Oxford Professor of Poetry.

Pictured below are our poetry readers from left to right: Christopher Robinson, Julia Moore, Matthew Thal, Sir Nicholas Underhill, Julius Grower, Professor A E Stallings, Sarah Ekdawi, Clare Mulley, Gareth Prior, Foteini Dimirouli and Rowena Fowler:

Pictured below is poetry reader, Xenofon Kalogeropoulos:

Below are a selection of photographs taken during the event: