SCFC789
Literary Egypt: The Personal Landscapes of C. P. Cavafy, Albert Cossery, and Lawrence Durrell (Seminar 55+)
Writers have travelled to Egypt for Oriental splendours, erotic escapades, and the spectacle of antiquity. Something different happened to those who washed up on the Levant’s southern shores as residents and refugees. We will consider three such writers: Constantine Cavafy (a Greek), Albert Cossery (an Egyptian), and Lawrence Durrell (an Anglo-Indian). They represent views of Egypt from the Alexandrian Greek population, the refugees of the Second World War, and the exiled Egyptian intellectuals after the war.
We will read selections from Cavafy’s historical poetry, Durrell’s nostalgic memory of Alexandria, and Cossery’s politically radical memories of the Egyptian poor. We will also consider the broadly cosmopolitan ideal these writers endorsed, the vital importance of their historical moments, and the politics of their differing styles.
Please note that enrolment in this course is reserved for adults 55+.
This course is available at the following time(s) and location(s):
| Section | Session(s) | Date/time | Campus | Instructor(s) | Cost | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCFC789-VA1137 | 6 | Fridays Oct 25–Nov 29 9:30–11:20 am |
Van | James Gifford and Lindsay Parker |
$104 | Register |
What will I Learn?
Week 1: Introduction and Key Concepts
Using Michael Haag’s discussion of cosmopolitan Cairo and Alexandria, we will think through the local and international intellectual and literary networks that converged in Egypt during the first half of the twentieth century. We will focus on the local artistic community’s vitality and extraordinary international scope.
Week 2: Cavafy’s History
The poetry of the Alexandrian Greek C. P. Cavafy blends the Classical and contemporary in content and language. We will focus on a selection of his historical poems ranging from “The God Abandons Antony” to “Those Who Fought for the Achaean League,” emphasizing his richly allusive style.
Week 3: Durrell’s Justine: Style
Begun while Durrell was a refugee fleeing the Nazis in Greece and completed in the aftermath of Suez, this first novel of the Alexandria Quartet reached the British reading public at the end of the 1950s. We will explore the ironic politics of the ornate style.
Week 4: Durrell’s Justine: Allusion
We will explore allusion, the literary milieu of Durrell’s novel, and the strong influence of his British predecessors (and editors) that he displaces through Levantine voices. By sifting through Durrell’s archaeological fragments, we will recuperate Justine’s critical and political function and sensual style.
Week 5: Cossery’s The Jokers: Exile
Written in Paris but looking back to his life in Egypt, Cossery’s 1964 novel presents a bitter critique of power, politics, and professional revolutionaries. By recovering Cossery’s 1930s activities in resisting Marxists and Fascists and authoritarian nationalists, we will open his comic novel’s most subversive yet submerged satire.
Week 6: Cossery’s The Jokers: Existential
We will consider how the rapid decolonization of Africa and existentialism were already rooted in Cossery’s 1940s experiences among French and English refugees in Egypt during the Second World War. We will return to Durrell and Cavafy to consider the deep influence across this community of writers.
How will I learn?
- Lectures
- Discussion (may vary from class to class)
- Papers (applicable only to certificate students)
Who should take this course?
This course is for anyone who is interested in reading and disscussing American poetry of the 1950s and 1960s and exploring the influence of the group of poets known as "The Beats."
How will I be evaluated?
(For certificate students only)
Your instructor will evaluate you based on an essay you will complete at the end of the course. You will receive a grade of “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.”
Textbooks and learning materials
Some course materials may be available online.