Summary
Highlights
The Vociani were writers and intellectuals associated with 'La Voce,' a review founded in Florence in 1908. This movement, influenced by Benedetto Croce, initially addressed political issues like the Southern question and universal suffrage before focusing solely on literature from 1914. Vociani poets promoted literature free from academic tradition, utilizing free verse and prose poetry. They embraced the 'poetics of the fragment,' creating short compositions that expressed subjective and internal experiences. They also adopted symbolism, analogy, and existentialism, rejecting hedonism and aestheticizing tendencies.
Clemente Rebora, born in Milan in 1885, graduated in literature and taught in technical and evening schools. He contributed to 'La Voce,' where his collection 'Frammenti lirici' was published in 1913. He participated in World War I, which left him with nervous trauma and deeply influenced his 'Poesie Sparse.' His spiritual journey, from Mazzinianism to Eastern religions and eventually to Catholicism, is documented in 'Canti Anonimi.' In 1936, he became a Rosminian priest and published 'Poesie religiose.' Notable poems include 'O pioggia feroce,' which symbolizes purification, and 'Via attico,' which depicts the horror of war and rediscovery of brotherhood in death.
Camillo Sbarbaro, born in Santa Margherita Ligure in 1888, led an isolated life, working in a steel industry and collaborating with 'La Voce.' He also participated in WWI. His poetry heavily features the Ligurian landscape and a sense of life's precariousness, influencing Eugenio Montale. His collection 'Pianissimo' uses the desert as a metaphor for the poet's estrangement in a hopeless world. Sbarbaro viewed the modern city as a prison, representing solitude and alienation. His 'manifesto' poem, 'La mia anima sta in pace,' explores a soul weary of life, devoid of hope or regret, walking through existence like a somnambulist, detached from the world.
Dino Campana's life was marked by wandering across Italy and Europe. In 1913, he submitted a manuscript to 'L'Acerba' magazine, which was lost, forcing him to rewrite it. This resulted in his only major work, 'Canti Orfici,' published in 1914. He had a turbulent relationship with writer Sibilla Aleramo, whose jealousy led to his internment in a mental asylum until his death in 1932. Campana's poetry moves beyond D'Annunzio's sensuality towards Baudelaire and Nietzschean vitalism, earning him the title of Italy's 'poeta maledetto.' 'Canti Orfici' is a prosimetrum, a collection alternating prose and verse, divided into sections like 'La notte,' 'Notturni,' 'La Verna,' 'Varie,' and 'Frammenti,' intertwining Leopardi's 'Canti' with Orpheus's mystical word. His poetic technique is characterized by repetitive syntax, obsessive rhythm, and intense chromaticism, creating a dreamlike, enigmatic, and mysterious atmosphere, drawing from late Decadentism. The themes of the night, enigmatic women, and journeying are central to his work.
Piero Jahier, of French origin, was born in Genoa in 1884. An orphan of a Protestant pastor, he didn't complete theology studies but later became a railwayman. Opposed to fascism, he ceased writing during the regime, eventually earning degrees in law and French literature. He debuted in 1915 under the pseudonym Gino Bianchi with 'Le risultanze in merito alla vita del crafter di Gino Bianchi,' a critical portrayal of the bourgeois world. His most important work, 'Con me e con gli alpini,' is a volume of prose and lyrics reflecting his experiences as an Alpine officer in WWI. He also founded trench newspapers like 'L'Astico' and 'Il Nuovo Contadino.' Yahier's 'Con me e con gli alpini,' a war diary from 1916-1917, is also a diary of values, portraying soldiers who sacrifice for Italy, often unknowingly, for the Italian people rather than for medals. For Jahier, fighting for Italy was not a futile sacrifice, as the people would allow Italy to sing again.