Ancient Times: A thousand years before Alexandria is founded, a small Egyptian town called Rhakotis exists at the same site. Alexander the Great founds Alexandria in 331 B.C.

Cavafy's Lifetime: In the nineteenth century, Alexandria grows in size, wealth, and importance as a port city. But, in 1882, the British fleet bombards it. This marks the beginning of British dominance in Egypt, which lasts well into the twentieth century.

Today: Alexandria is the second largest city and the main port of Egypt. It has a population of four million and is the most ethnically and culturally diverse of the Egyptian cities.

Ancient Times: Homer and the later poets and dramatists of ancient Greece become the foundation of the Western literary tradition.

Cavafy's Lifetime: Contemporary Greek literature is little known outside the borders of Greece.

Today: Cavafy enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of Greece's finest...