Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy (Italian Poetry in Translation Book 2)

is irrefutable: Russo does not browbeat his

reader by turning to “nostalgia,” even when

it seems that he is willing to curl up in the

spires and sighs of the good and beautiful

sentiment of the past. His dialect is a

chronicle, a diary of everyday ferment, as is

his poetry, rich with echoes and allusions,

often satisfied with wordplay and deftness.

The other poet in the anthology, if with

only one text, is Raffaele Viviani. It was

extremely difficult to choose after the happy

season of Di Giacomo and Russo, especially

because the world of song (an interesting

chapter for further investigation on

Neapolitan and other dialects) had produced

authors of great dignity, such as Pasquale

Ruocco, Tito Manlio, Emma Coppola di

Canzano, Fusco, Bovio, G.B. De Curtis, E.A.

Mario, Totò, De Filippo, Nicolardi,De Mura,

Panza, De Gregorio, Pacifico Vento; Viviani,