Cavafy Award

The Cavafy Award is an honor presented to creative writers from Egypt and Greece in the fields of poetry, short stories, and literary criticism.^[1]

First awarded in 1990, the prize was established to foster cultural relations between Egypt and Greece. Notable recipients include Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, who received the award on his 92nd birthday, as well as Farouk Shousha, Sayyid Hijab, Ibrahim Aslan, Radwa Ashour, Sahar El Mougy, and Bahaa Taher.^[2]

The award is named after the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, who was born in and lived in Alexandria, Egypt until his death.^[3]

In 1983, unique cultural celebrations were held for the first time in the cities of Alexandria and Cairo, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, the poet of Alexandria. These events, known as "Cavafyia," were aimed at developing cultural relations between Greece and Egypt by highlighting the works of this Greek poet who lived in Alexandria from birth until his death and created all his works in the city he adored. The idea was supported by the Greek Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri, and originated with Panayotis Vassilopoulos, the Greek Consul in Alexandria at the time. These celebrations quickly became one of the most important cultural events in Egypt.^[4]