We were fortuitous to have Italian poet, Tiziano Fratus, pay us a spirited visit last Monday, April 19th. He has been all over the country, promoting his new book, Creaturing, which is his first collection of poetry for U.S. readers. During his performance, he graciously invited attendees to read his poems out-loud, in English, while he followed with the original, Italian version. (Creaturing contains both the Italian versions of Fratus’ poetry, and the English translations, translated by poet, and new media artist, Francesco Levato.) Fratus’ poems are passionate and playful. They explore cultural, historical, and traditional tropes with precision and lyricism. In “The Shadows of Hart Crane and Other Visitors,” Fratus channels the voice of Crane, who begs to be “let go” by the speaker of the poem:
don’t hide under glass like a museum display, go out
in the street, feel the bodies, hear the voices, fight, get dirty and let me
go
After his unique performance, Fratus took time to discuss his life as a publisher, (he launched the independent poetry press, Edizioni Torino Poesia in 2007), as well as the current status of poetry in Italy. Though his English is limited, as he bashfully disclosed at the beginning of the reading, he fielded numerous questions from the audience with great humor and patience. We hope to invite Tiziano Fratus back to SDSU in the near future for another delightful, bilingual reading!
anthonybonds
