Pharos and Pharillon

Pharos and Pharillon is a work written by E.M. Forster, first published in 1923 and consists of a collection of essays and short texts that focus on the history and culture of Alexandria in Egypt.

We must also highlight the approach that the author gives it by dividing it into two different periods, which are the splendor of Hellenistic Alexandria under the Pharaohs (Pharos) and the cultural renaissance of the city in the nineteenth century and early twentieth century (Pharillon).

In doing so, he combines history with literature and his most personal thoughts, the result of his observation and perception to develop the essence and spirit of Alexandria. It deals with such important figures as Alexander the Great and Cleopatra, as well as modern figures such as Constantine Cavafy, a Greek poet whom Forster deeply admired.

The work is a lyrical meditation on the past and present of a city that has served as a crossroads and a wonder of cultures and civilizations.

"The career of Menelaus was a series of small mishaps. It was after he had lost Helen, and indeed after he had recovered her and was returning from Troy, that a breeze arose from the north-west and obliged him to take refuge upon a desert island. It was of limestone, close to the African coast, and to the estuary though not to the exit of the Nile, and it was protected from the Mediterranean by an outer barrier of reefs. Here he remained for twenty days, in no danger, but in discomfort, for the accommodation was insufficient for the Queen. "