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

whole century, for instance, there is an

enduring and widening satirical-playful

tendency, which finds in Modesto Della

Porta (1885-1938) its master and favorite

model. Born in Guardiagrele (Chieti), known

as the poet-tailor, highly regarded by

everyone while living and admired even by

Trilussa, he presently engenders conflicting

views among critics, not all of whom are

convinced that he wrote real poetry. We

believe, on the other hand, that his Ta-pù, lu

trumbone d’accumpagnamente [Ta-pù, the

Accompanying Trombone], 1933 is to be

considered not only the most popular text of

Abruzzi literature, but a small masterpiece

of its genre as well. One should also add that

the value and meaning of the book is not

exhausted by its principal vein, no doubt

grounded on local color, but it explores the

most varied tonalities, ranging from the