in video aboveLaurie Anderson explains CP Cavafy’s poems “Waiting for the barbarian” As “set in ancient Rome.” This is a reasonable interpretation given that it includes emperors, senators, and orators, although Cavafy himself notes that none of them are necessarily Roman. The universality of the situation the poem describes, in which the nation’s elites come out in their best clothes even though they have nothing to do but wait out the invasion of the titular barbarians, is an interpretation that It is definitely not lost to the people. For example, J.M. Coetzee set his novel waiting for the barbarian It lies on the edge of an unnamed “empire.”
Anderson also notes that he thought, “Wait a minute, this sounds familiar,” considering the poem’s evocation of government gridlock, and the relationship between the United States and the declining Roman Empire. No one can deny that comparisons are a hot topic these days. That, in part, inspired the next performance, in which Anderson and the True Greek Chorus interpreted both. ”waiting for the barbarian”, written by Cavafy in 1904, and odyssey-based on “Ithaca” Seven years later (you can also hear Sean Connery recite it with Vangelis’ score). “Ithaca” is Cavafy’s most famous work, particularly because it was read at the funeral of former United States first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
In fact, the event was sponsored by the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, founded by Aristotle Onassis in the name of his late son, and was held in November 2023 at St. Thomas Church in New York City. This occasion was the opening. of Cavafy Archives of Athenson whose website Classicalist Gregory Yusdanis declares The poet’s greatness lies in his ability to predict our world 100 years ago. Cavafy may have been well aware that some political situations were unavoidable, but if Anderson’s performance of the words was translated into English with appropriate instruments and electronic backing, I didn’t expect it to sound like something that came from her heart. big science era.
via metafilter
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
