Classical Absences (1896–2017)

Abstract When we consider classical receptions in terms of presences, often think how antiquity materializes visibly and/or substantially the fabric our histories, whether as physical remains or concrete traditions. Yet search for a solid, conspicuous phenomenon reveals only one side fascinating story can conceive its status and circulation across space time. This article investigates some key examples period 1896–2017, from Argentine author J. L. Borges to British poet-translator Josephine Balmer, which disclose flip this story—that antiquity’s existence on various levels dispersal, silence, occlusion at intersections poetry, mythopoeic biography, legend-making, creative translation. It argues that, their engagement with Greco-Roman past, these both advance understanding absence critical idiom question sense makes impact world ‘classical presence’.