Welcome to Italian poetry - July 2004

January 18, 2006 Many new young poets have surfaced in the editorial market, with uneven results, and some older poets have continued to reinforce their national standing. There is an effervescent panorama of literary events and a great number of publishers, ranging from small family run publishing houses to large book companies with their poetry series, as well as a growing number of websites dedicated to poetry or creative writing in general.

What then is the current scenario for poetry and what has being going on in the last twenty years? It is difficult to fit contemporary Italian poetry into rigid and well-defined categories. Definitions, trends, currents continue to alter or invert their course, indeed, it is almost as if contradiction were a natural and inevitable prerequisite for any kind of poetry that wishes to remain relevant and dynamic in the present cultural context.

The present scenario is varied and full of contrasts, but for this very reason it is particularly stimulating. While it is marked by a variety of voices, these also seem to share common trait: the desire to rethink poetry, to reflect on what poetry ‘is’ in this cabled, post-industrial, post-ideological world, overshadowed by TV satelites and homogenized by the flatness of computer screens. Once again, poetry itself as an object has been called into question.

The Italian magazine of PIW intends to represent this complex situation in all its nuances, with the hope and the promise of offering you surprising and stimulating discoveries. Our next issue will appear on October 1.