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

culture. Croce did not have a high regard for

him, he considered him to be like so many

other Neapolitan poets who wrote smooth

verses lacking the resonance of real poetry.

One can imagine the dispute Russo gave rise

to over the diffidence and shortcomings of

the great critic, but also over the comments

of other poets, like Murolo, Bovio and

Galdieri, who took Croce’s side.

But beyond the fracas raised by Russo

among friends and enemies, he remained

the poet who, in his moments of grace, was

able to create unforgettable pages, subtly

ironic or “chorally” knowing.

In the conclusion of his book, Luigi Reina

describes him as follows: “Russo then was

not a champion of regional and dialectal

Verismo, stricto senso, but an intellectual

typical of the post-unity and southern

generation tied to a concept of culture