Published 2018. Paperback, 9 x 6ins, £12.95 / US$20
ISBN 9781848615670. [Download a sample PDF from this volume here.]

The Return of Pytheas is a study of poetry and poems through and across two language traditions – Greek and English. While the main focus is recent and contemporary, exchanges reach back as far as Aeschylus and the Iliad. The book thus investigates Christopher Logue’s long and extraordinary engagement with Homer, as well as the more sporadic and varied influences of Greek landscape and culture since the 1960s on English poets such as Richard Berengarten, Sebastian Barker, Kelvin Corcoran and Peter Riley. The special history of Cavafy in Britain is also explored, starting with E. M. Forster, and continuing through the poetry of John Ash, Evan Jones and Don Paterson. As scenes from Ted Hughes’s revisiting of ancient drama are echoed in Alice Oswald’s recent writing, manifold continuations of translation and versioning are shown to be essential parts of poets’ lives and work.

“Learned, comprehensive, and lively, Paschalis Nikolaou’s The Return of Pytheas answers a number of questions about the rich and complex dialectic between British and Greek poetry that I had not always thought of asking. A stimulating and helpful study.” —Rachel Hadas, Rutgers University

“Learned and thoughtful, Paschalis Nikolaou's The Return of Pytheas introduces readers to an ongoing dialogue. Through nuanced and detailed readings, Nikolaou shows that English poets have returned to the Greek tradition, from Homer to Cavafy, for inspiration and literary comradeship. By embracing a broad conception of translation, he transcends the limits of center and margin, major and minor, and offers a comprehensive model of cultural exchange.” —Gregory Jusdanis, Ohio State University

“A brilliant, original contribution to the study of translation and the reception of Greek poetry by twentieth and twenty-first century British poets. In a set of elegant and well-informed readings, this book stages a sustained and mutually illuminating dialogue between and within cultures and languages, and confirms the enduring resonance and relevance of Greek literary modes.” —Vassiliki Kolocotroni, University of Glasgow

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