Seferis did not make it easy for his biographer's work. He did everything possible to distinguish the identity of the poet and man of letters from that of the high-ranking public official. From his twenties to his sixties, he complained of being the "servant of two masters." Since the time he published the first volume of his poems, he divided himself into two public personas: the name "Seferis" is a literary pseudonym, apparently related but also distinguishable at the same time from "Seferiades," the diplomat's family name.

The story of Seferis's life is the story of this divided personality. When writing this book, I deliberately adopted the following stance: this biography is not the story of the poet "Seferis" or the diplomat "Seferiades," but rather, as much as one can reconstruct it, the story of the man who was both. For this reason, in the following chapters, I refer to him by his first name: Giorgos.

R.B. "The approach undertaken by Beaton—both in terms of Seferis's literary and political life, as well as their interplay—is meticulously documented, sober, and insightful. This biography is not just a key resource for readers of Seferis's poetry; its portrayal of his diplomatic career makes it a valuable read for anyone interested in 20th-century Greek history." - Edmund Keeley

"Surprisingly, this work by Roderick Beaton is the first systematic and comprehensive biography of the poet in any language. If anything can reward us for this long delay, it is this book. Based on a deep knowledge of Seferis's work and on rich archival material, much of which has been unknown until now, the author explores the poet's sources of inspiration, illuminates his journey as both a person and a creator, and accurately places him within the historical context of his era." - Vivienne Nilan, Kathimerini English Edition