George Seferis: Waiting for the Angel, A Biography [Hardcover]

Roderick Beaton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 030010135X | ISBN-13: 978-0300101355 | Publication Date: October 1, 2003

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 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 analyses 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 should interest anyone interested in 20th-century Greek literature, culture, or history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Beaton's treatment of both the literary and political facets of Seferis's life - and their interrelation - is carefully researched, judicious, and felicitously expressed. The biography is not only an essential source for readers of Seferis's poetry; the evocation of his diplomatic career makes it valuable reading for all with an interest in twentieth-century Greek history." Edmund Keeley, co-translator of Seferis's Collected Poems "This is a splendid work, one that will bring one of the twentieth century's two finest poets (Yeats is the other) to a wide audience which needs, more than ever, to hear his strong, beautiful voice." Richard Martin, Stanford University

From the Back Cover

"This is a splendid work, one that will bring one of the twentieth century's two finest poets (Yeats is the other) to a wide audience which needs, more than ever, to hear his strong, beautiful voice."-Richard Martin, Stanford University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030010135X
• ISBN-13: 978-0300101355
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,471,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent biography, look forward to learning more, January 5, 2005

By 

Dimitri Darras (NY Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: George Seferis: Waiting for the Angel, A Biography (Hardcover)

This biography is extremely well written; I haven't read one this good since "Captain Sir Richard Burton." The biography covers equally Greece's history from 1900-1970 and Seferis' Nobel-prizing winning body of poetry. The descriptions are vivid and the reader gets a complete sense of Seferis as statesman and artist. Although Seferis was not prolific, the author stresses the quality of his work and its timeliness during a tumultuous period for Greece, indeed the world.

The description of Skala is evocative of Odysseus's Ithaca and resonates profoundly throughout Serferis' story. The poetic analysis is well-resoned, although my only suggestion for the next edition of this biography is an appendix of his best poems.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A biography from an Academic writer written as by a novelist, February 28, 2011

By 

Basil Rouskas - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Seferis: Waiting for the Angel, A Biography (Hardcover)

This is a book that reaches a fine balance between the man (Seferis) and the historical context (Greek history from 1900 to 1971) in which his life unfolded. This balance also extends between the detailed documentation of researched references and the perfect story telling of a raconteur describing a rich life to a group of friends around a fireplace. The detail never gets boring. I suspect it is because the evolution of the book constantly moves from the details of Seferis' life to the appropriate context of major historical events taking place around his daily life.
I am of Greek heritage and have lived away from the homeland for more than forty years. I can relate to the strong feelings of childhood memories. The nostalgia of living away from the Greek light was the essential part of Seferis' life. It has been described in perfect balance between the natural world of the Greek landscape and that of the internal world of emotions by Professor Beaton.
On another note, I was aware of Seferis' career in the Greek Foreign Service, but had no clue as to how influential he was, especially in the Cyprus crisis. Alas, his concerns materialized and the current situation on the Island is nothing but an expression of his foresight and wisdom.
If you like Seferis' poetry, the Greek landscape and the Greek language and culture, you are going to be fascinated by this book. And, also, you will go back to read Seferis' poetry to read it again and "take in" the complexity that was "George"