Award-winning author and translator Persa Koumoutsi joined “Faraway Words” to discuss her latest book, “Η τελευταία συνάντηση ή Απολείπειν ο θεός Κωνσταντίνον”.
Co-written with acclaimed playwright Panagiotis Mentis, this theatrical monologue centers on Constantine Cavafy, the Alexandrian poet, in the final days of his life. As Koumoutsi explained, it explores a writer’s thoughts as life draws to a close, posing the question: What matters more—one’s legacy or life itself?
Koumoutsi also spoke about her life in Egypt, the influence of Naguib Mahfouz and Constantine Cavafy on her work, and contemporary Arabic poetry.