Italian Environmental Literature : an Anthology

372 Pages·2003·1.322 MB·English

by  Patrick Barron, Anna Re

ITALIAN
ENVIRONMENTAL
LITERATURE

ITALIAN
ENVIRONMENTAL
LITERATURE

AN ANTHOLOGY
■

EDITED BY

PATRICK BARRON & ANNA RE
■
FOREWORD BY JOHN ELDER
PREFACE BY REBECCA WEST
ITALICA
PRESS
ITALICA PRESS
NEW YORK
2003
Copyright © 2003 by patriCk barron and anna re
itaLiCa preSS, inC.
595 Main Street
new york, new york 10044
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, me-
chanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of Italica Press.
Library of Congress CataLoging-in-PubLiCation Data
Italian environmental literature : an anthology / edited by Patrick
Barron & Anna Re.
p. cm.
English and Italian.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 987-0-934977-70-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-59910-086-9 (e-book)
1. Italian literature--20th century. 2. Italian literature--19th century.
3. Environmental policy--Literary collections. 4. Ecology--Literary collections.
5. Nature--Literary collections. I. Barron, Patrick, 1968- II. Re, Anna, 1970-
PQ4204.A9I85 2003
850.8’355--dc21

2003001567
Cover Photo: Lama dei Peligni, Abruzzo, on the east flank of the Majella Massif.
Photo © Patrick Barron.
Printed in the U.S.A. and E.U.
For a complete list of titles in this series
visit our website at
www.ItalicaPress.com
CONTENTS
MAP....................................................................................................X
FOREWORD .....................................................................................XI
PREFACE .........................................................................................XIV
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................XIX
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................XXI
POETRY
GIOVANNI PASCOLI.......................................................................3
PIOGGIA — RAIN....................................................................... 4
VESPRO — VESPERS.................................................................... 4
LA DOMENICA DELL’ULIVO — THE SUNDAY OF THE OLIVE TREE.......... 6
SERA D’OTTOBRE — OCTOBER EVENING......................................... 6
ARANO — THEY ARE PLOWING..................................................... 8
NOVEMBRE — NOVEMBER ........................................................... 8
GABRIELE D’ANNUNZIO ..............................................................11
LA PIOGGIA NEL PINETO — THE RAIN IN THE PINEWOOD................ 12
DITIRAMBO III — DITHYRAMB III................................................. 18
CORRADO GOVONI.....................................................................27
PAESAGGIO — LANDSCAPE ........................................................ 28
CREPUSCOLO FERRARESE — FERRARESE TWILIGHT.......................... 28
LA PRIMAVERA DEL MARE — THE SPRINGTIME OF THE SEA............... 30
DINO CAMPANA...........................................................................34
LA VERNA................................................................................ 34
IMAGES FROM THE JOURNEY AND THE MOUNTAIN.......................... 46
GIUSEPPE UNGARETTI.................................................................49
I FIUMI — THE RIVERS.............................................................. 50
CON FUOCO — WITH FIRE ........................................................ 54
QUIETE — QUIET..................................................................... 54
TU TI SPEZZASTI — YOU SHATTERED............................................ 56
TERRA — EARTH...................................................................... 58
v
ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE
EUGENIO MONTALE ....................................................................63
MERIGGIARE PALLIDO E ASSORTO — SIT OUT THE NOON,
PALE AND ENGROSSED........................................................... 64
PORTAMI IL GIRASOLE CH’IO LO TRAPIANTI — BRING ME THE
SUNFLOWER SO THAT I MAY PLANT IT ....................................... 64
RIVIERE — SEACOASTS .............................................................. 66
EGLOGA — ECLOGUE ................................................................70
L’ANGUILLA — THE EEL............................................................. 72
SALVATORE QUASIMODO...........................................................77
ALLA MIA TERRA — TO MY EARTH ............................................... 78
CAVALLI DI LUNA E DI VULCANI — HORSES OF MOON AND OF
VOLCANOES......................................................................... 78
RIDE LA GAZZA, NERA SUGLI ARANCI — THE MAGPIE LAUGHS,
BLACK UPON THE ORANGE TREES............................................. 80
PREGHIERA ALLA PIOGGIA — PRAYER TO THE RAIN......................... 82
ED È SUBITO SERA — AND SUDDENLY IT’S EVENING....................... 82
DARIA MENICANTI.......................................................................85
CAMALEONTE — CHAMELEON.................................................... 86
EPIGRAMMA PER UN VERME — EPIGRAM FOR A WORM.................... 88
SE — IF.................................................................................. 88
FELINI — FELINES .................................................................... 90
GABBIANI — SEAGULLS ............................................................. 90
TONINO GUERRA.........................................................................93
E’ MI FIÓMM — MY RIVER ......................................................... 94
E’ PARADÉIS L’È BRÓTT — HEAVEN IS UGLY................................... 94
I BU — OXEN.......................................................................... 96
LA MÓRTA — DEATH ................................................................ 96
E’ MÓND L’È BÈL — THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL.............................. 96
ANDREA ZANZOTTO....................................................................99
UN LIBRO DI ECLOGHE — A BOOK OF ECLOGUES.........................100
ECLOGA I — ECLOGUE I...........................................................100
ECLOGA II — ECLOGUE II.........................................................106
PER LA FINESTRA NUOVA — THROUGH THE NEW WINDOW.............110
ORMAI — BY NOW..................................................................112
PIER PAOLO PASOLINI............................................................... 115
IL PIANTO DELLA SCAVATRICE — THE TEARS OF THE EXCAVATOR.......116
vi
AN ANTHOLOGY
JOLANDA INSANA.......................................................................123
EXCERPTS FROM IL RADICAMENTO — EXCERPTS FROM
THE ROOTING.................................................................... 124
MARIELLA BETTARINI.................................................................127
IL LECCIO — THE HOLM OAK................................................... 128
BIOGRAFIA — BIOGRAPHY....................................................... 130
SE LA NATURA PARLA A TUTTA GOLA — IF NATURE BELLOWS .......... 130
DICO CHE IL GRILLO LO SCORPIONE LA CAVALLETTA — I SAY THAT
THE CRICKET THE SCORPION THE GRASSHOPPER....................... 132
LUCIANA NOTARI.......................................................................135
IL CORPO E L’ANIMA — BODY AND SOUL................................... 136
SCARTO — DISTANCE.............................................................. 136
ASPRA STAGIONE METROPOLITANA — HARSH METROPOLITAN
SEASON............................................................................. 138
PAESAGGIO INVERNALE — WINTER LANDSCAPE............................ 138
PROSE
CORRADO ALVARO.....................................................................143
FROM: PEOPLE OF ASPROMONTE ............................................... 144
GIANNA MANZINI......................................................................147
THE FABLE OF THE OLIVE TREE .................................................. 147
A CYPRESS.......................................................................................150
IGNAZIO SILONE........................................................................154
FROM: FONTAMARA................................................................. 154
CARLO LEVI..................................................................................165
FROM: CHRIST STOPPED AT EBOLI.............................................. 165
GIUSEPPE DESSÌ..........................................................................173
FROM: THE FORESTS OF NORBIO................................................ 173
ANNA MARIA ORTESE................................................................184
THE TREE .............................................................................. 184
CARLO CASSOLA.........................................................................191
SEA, SKY AND LAND.................................................................191
vii
ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE
NUTO REVELLI ............................................................................196
POLENTA THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FIVE TIMES A YEAR .............. 196
IT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE IT,
BUT THE WOMEN WERE IN CHARGE........................................ 200
MARIO RIGONI STERN...............................................................203
THE CROWS............................................................................203
THE SHEPHERD ...................................................................... 206
ITALO CALVINO ...........................................................................210
SPRING: MUSHROOMS IN THE CITY.............................................210
SPRING: THE GOOD AIR............................................................213
SPRING: WHERE THE RIVER IS MORE BLUE?...................................218
GIUSEPPE BONAVIRI..................................................................221
FROM: DOLCISSIMO................................................................ 222
CARLO SGORLON....................................................................... 231
THE ENCHANTED VOYAGER....................................................... 232
GIANNI CELATI............................................................................237
HOW A PHOTOGRAPHER DISEMBARKED
IN THE NEW WORLD............................................................ 238
THE RETURN OF THE TRAVELER.................................................. 242
MONICA SARSINI........................................................................249
PINK .................................................................................... 249
LAVENDER............................................................................. 250
SILVER ...................................................................................251
GREEN.................................................................................. 252
WHITE.................................................................................. 253

ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................257
LAURA CONTI..............................................................................263
FROM: A HARE WITH THE FACE OF A CHILD................................. 264
ALFREDO TODISCO....................................................................274
FROM: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF A PASSION............................... 274
viii
AN ANTHOLOGY
ANTONIO CEDERNA..................................................................279
FROM: THE VANDALS AT HOME.................................................. 279
FROM: THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURE.........................................281
DANILO DOLCI...........................................................................283
AN EXPROPRIATED FARMER....................................................... 283
GIORGIO NEBBIA .......................................................................290
THE CRISIS IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MAN
AND THE ENVIRONMENT...................................................... 290
THE LESSON OF ECOLOGY........................................................ 292
FULCO PRATESI...........................................................................294
FROM: THE KNIGHTS OF THE GREAT LAGOON .............................. 294
GIANNI MATTIOLI AND MASSIMO SCALIA ............................298
PROMETHEUS FELL AT CHERNOBYL............................................. 298
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE........................................................ 300
VIRGINIO BETTINI......................................................................304
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND............................................................ 304
NICOLA LICCIARDELLO.............................................................310
GIVE US OUR DAILY WILD..........................................................310
LOREDANA LUCARINI ............................................................... 315
ALFA ROMEO...........................................................................315
GIUSEPPE MORETTI.................................................................... 321
WILD AND CULTIVATED.............................................................321
STUDIO AZZURRO......................................................................327
THE EARTH THAT GENERATES THE AIR......................................... 328
PERFUMES CARRIED BY THE WIND.............................................. 329
NOTES...........................................................................................332
ix