Hello friends,In this episode of The Artidote Podcast, I speak with Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys, authors of Alexandrian Sphinx: The Life of C.P. Cavafy — the first major biography of one of the twentieth century’s greatest poets.Together we explore the hidden life behind the polished verse:how Cavafy transformed loneliness into art, guarded his privacy while pursuing immortality, and re-imagined Hellenism for the modern age.We talk about:How Alexandrian Sphinx reveals the man behind the mythCavafy’s secret methods and his rewriting of Greek poetic traditionThe tension between fame and solitudeWhy “Ithaca”, “The City”, and “Myris: Alexandria, A.D. 340” still speak to our centuryCavafy teaches us that the journey matters more than arrival, and that art — not applause — redeems a life.🎧 Listen to the full conversation📖 Alexandrian Sphinx by Gregory Jusdanis and Peter Jeffreys — available now💬 Subscribe for more conversations on poetry, philosophy, and the art of living.00:00 Introduction — Discovering C.P. Cavafy01:10 The Magic of Bookshops & First Encounter with Cavafy02:10 Why Cavafy Matters Today04:05 Who Was Cavafy? A Poet for the 21st Century05:00 Cavafy as a Modern & Queer Poetic Voice06:30 Why Cavafy Foretold Globalization07:30 Why Has No Biography Been Written Until Now?08:40 Writing Alexandrian Sphinx — Birth of the Book10:00 Writing the Biography Thematically vs Chronologically11:40 How the Archive Shaped the Story13:10 How the Authors Personally Discovered Cavafy15:10 The Meaning of “The City”19:40 The Power Cities Have Over Us20:40 Most Surprising Discoveries About Cavafy22:10 Sacrifice, Ambition & the Price of Art24:40 Transactional Relationships & Friendship26:50 Co-Authoring a Biography — Disagreements & Granite vs Rainbow32:10 Myth-Making & Breaking: Who Was the Real Cavafy?36:30 Solitude vs Sociability — Was He Really a Recluse?38:00 Cavafy’s Writing Process & Rewriting His Life’s Work41:30 Why He Burned His Early Poems44:10 Lines & Poems That Stay With Us46:10 Dividing Cavafy’s Life & Evolution of Themes48:50 What Would We Ask Cavafy If He Were Here?50:30 Was Fame Worth the Sacrifices?53:00 Self-Promotion and the Apostles of Cavafy59:40 Is Cavafy Accessible to Modern Readers?1:02:10 Recommended Poems to Start With1:09:00 Cavafy’s Advice on Life1:10:10 Book Recommendations from the Authors1:13:10 Upcoming Projects1:14:30 Closing Reflections#Cavafy #GreekPoetry #AlexandrianSphinx #ArtidotePodcast #ModernGreekPoetry #Ithaca #PoetryPodcast

Willpower will define whether your ideas become real or die in your mind.

How to Have Willpower is a book about what makes the difference between ideas that die in our heads and the few that become life. In this episode, Vashik Armenikus speaks to Michael Fontaine, classicist at Cornell University and translator of How to Have Willpower: An Ancient Guide to Not Giving In.

Together we ask a practical question: what did the Greeks and Romans actually do to resist temptation, and can those moves still work today?

Fontaine pairs Plutarch’s direct advice on social pressure with Prudentius’s vivid poem Psychomachia where virtues fight vices. The result is a field manual for self-command that you can test in daily life.

Get How to Have Willpower 👉 https://amzn.to/3JhUqZq

In this conversation you’ll hear:

🧠 Why many ancients treated vice as voluntary self-harm, and how that view clashes with today’s medicalized habits.

⚔️ The unforgettable set pieces of Psychomachia: Faith vs. Worship of the Old Gods, Patience vs. Anger, Temperance vs. Indulgence, Humility vs. Pride, Chastity vs. Lust.

✋ Plutarch’s practical scripts for saying no: set the glass down after the toast, agree when someone calls you a “chicken,” practice refusing small asks so you can refuse big ones later.

🧘 Stoic perspective shifts from Marcus Aurelius, Dante-like imagery for moral clarity, and a starter reading list Fontaine recommends.

Website: artidote.uk/episode/mike-fontaine

How do you survive the court of a tyrant?In this interview, classicist Dr. James Romm discusses his book Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero—a gripping portrait of Stoic philosophy stress-tested inside imperial power. We explore Seneca’s survival strategies as Nero’s adviser: what he taught, what he compromised, and what we can learn about living under volatile authority today. You’ll learn:🏛️ The real Seneca–Nero relationship and how influence rose, then cracked. 🏛️ Why Seneca’s Stoicism is not escapism but a toolkit for ethics under pressure. 🏛️ Practical takeaways from Dying Every Day for modern life: managing proximity to power, drawing red lines, and preparing for moral tests. If you’re into Stoicism, ancient Rome, leadership ethics, or resilience under bad bosses, this conversation is for you. For more on Seneca and Nero, see other Romm interviews and lectures that frame the political context and contemporary relevance. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly philosophy & classics: https://armenikus.substack.com/ 🎧 Podcast (authors & scholars): artidote.uk📚 Book: Dying Every Day by James Romm :https://amzn.to/4pFC84F