# Alexandrian Sphinx: The Hidden Life of Constantine Cavafy

Alexandrian Sphinx: The Hidden Life of Constantine Cavafy is a biography by Peter Jeffreys and Gregory Jusdanis tracing the poet’s life, relationships and changing artistic approach. It follows his family across several cities before centring on Alexandria and examines his early poetry and later reinvention.

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- Market: UK
- Language: en-GB
- Currency: GBP
- Category: Books, Music & Hobbies > Books, Music & Movies > Books & Comics
- Price: 17.86 GBP
- Previous price: 30.00 GBP
- Discount: 40%
- Price checked: 2026-11-12T15:08:56.401Z
- Rating: 4.6 / 5
- Reviews: 7

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## At a glance

- Covers Cavafy’s family history, relationships, life in Alexandria and pursuit of literary recognition.
- Discusses his development from early poetic experiments to a later, substantially revised approach to his work.
- The listing states that the book won the International Hellenic Prize and was shortlisted for the Anglo-Hellenic League Runciman Award.
- Archival images are stated to be reproduced with permission from the Cavafy Archive, Onassis Foundation.

## Pros

- Combines biographical narrative with discussion of Cavafy’s poetry and artistic development.
- The account spans family movements through Liverpool, London and Istanbul as well as the poet’s central connection to Alexandria.

## Specifications

### Publication details
- Publisher: Summit Books UK
- Publication date: 28 Aug. 2025
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 560 pages
- ISBN-10: 1398551236
- ISBN-13: 978-1398551237
### Dimensions and installation
- Weight listed: 760 g
- Dimensions: 15.3 x 3.75 x 23.4 cm

## A good fit for

- Readers interested in Constantine Cavafy’s life, poetry and place in modern literature.
- Readers seeking a substantial literary biography with discussion of archival research, relationships and artistic development.

## Less suited to

- Readers seeking a collection or translation of Cavafy’s poems rather than a biography.

## Customer feedback

The supplied feedback contains aggregate ratings only, with no written customer comments. The distribution is mostly five-star with some three-star ratings, but the small sample cannot explain what readers liked or criticised. Treat it as limited rating context rather than evidence about the biography’s research, readability or treatment of Cavafy.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does Alexandrian Sphinx cover?
It covers Cavafy’s family history, relationships, life in Alexandria and the development of his poetry, including a later change in his artistic approach.
### Is this a collection of Cavafy’s poems?
No. The listing describes a biography that also discusses his work and artistic journey, not a collected-poems edition.
### How long is the book?
The listed print length is 560 pages.

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## Add-ons

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## Images

![Alexandrian Sphinx: The Hidden Life of Constantine Cavafy — 1](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/cqrXRADbB797sLSfB8JIz49wKDJbgvyIgzbIuHlh0apvmNXJi94UJmEUttUZwJSrQnMXA-xsVawTmcH1MdLu73UXM3shTgBq682f5rpjiJAGmPn0FoiR.jpg)