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cherreadssharereads's review
2.0
Was recommended this book when I visited a quaint but loveable bookstore hidden in the Oia part of Santorini. The shopkeeper recommended this when I asked for fiction by a Greek author and or based in Greece. I always enjoy any recommendations from people and was glad to have purchased and read this book. All in all, not my cuppa tea but if you enjoy stream of consciousness, this might be for you. (EDIT: This is historical fiction -- Cavafy is a real person but the novel was constructed to give a glimpse of his early career.)
At least the storyline is linear and the characters are few. Cavafy's thoughts are wild and I felt like I was being dragged along in his sleep-depraved and lust-filled journey but I also felt how restricted he felt from being himself and expressing his sexuality as it raged in his body. He was that hairless white cat in a cage. I was waiting for him to resolve to staying in Paris but I guess that didn't happen. The author Ersi Aotiropoulos did a great job capturing Cavafy's war with his mind and body but for me, it's hard to resonate because (1) streams of consciousness are hard to follow, (2) I am not knowledgeable of the wars and day-to-day cultural happenings of the time (e.g. the iconoplast debate, the mimesis perspective, or any of the wars he refers to), and (3) I don't care much for poetry.
At least the storyline is linear and the characters are few. Cavafy's thoughts are wild and I felt like I was being dragged along in his sleep-depraved and lust-filled journey but I also felt how restricted he felt from being himself and expressing his sexuality as it raged in his body. He was that hairless white cat in a cage. I was waiting for him to resolve to staying in Paris but I guess that didn't happen. The author Ersi Aotiropoulos did a great job capturing Cavafy's war with his mind and body but for me, it's hard to resonate because (1) streams of consciousness are hard to follow, (2) I am not knowledgeable of the wars and day-to-day cultural happenings of the time (e.g. the iconoplast debate, the mimesis perspective, or any of the wars he refers to), and (3) I don't care much for poetry.
thatbookboi's review
3.0
I love nothing more than long beautiful sentences (I should also mention that this book is pretty... hot). Intensely lyrical, raw and downright erotic, the novel almost seems like a poem itself as it follows the young poet C.P. Cavafy before his notoriety.
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