(°) - seed: and other poems - Softcover

Calandrone, Maria

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1946328421 ISBN 13: 9781946328427

Publisher: Agincourt Press, 2025

Synopsis

"In her Serie fossile (Fossil Series), acclaimed Italian writer Maria Grazia Calandrone transforms the metaphorical spectrum connected to the idea of "fossil" by turning it -and the process necessary to create it- into the very essence of love. Love is at the core of the entire collection, as the author herself suggests on the back cover: "Serie fossile is a poem about love, from the miracle of its birth to the agony of its end." Love, then, is surrender, entailing the complete opening up to the other (ready to be inhabited) and irremediable transformation, a rebirth from which there is no going back." - Beppe Cavatorta

About this title

About the Authors

Maria Grazia Calandrone, born in Milan in 1964 and based in Rome, stands as a prominent figure in the realms of poetry, playwriting, journalism, and performance art. Currently serving as the director of cultural programming for RAI Radio 3, she also directs video programs for Corriere della Sera web TV and collaborates with Italian TV channels Rai Letteratura, Rai Cultura, and Cult Book, focusing on culture and literature. A passionate advocate for inclusive literature, Calandrone conducts poetry workshops in schools, prisons, and mental health units. Volunteering at the Piccoli Maestri children's reading center underscores her commitment to fostering a love for reading among young audiences. Her poetic journey began with the acclaimed Illustrazioni (Illustrations, 1994), which received the Eugenio Montale Prize. Calandrone's poetic repertoire includes award-winning works like Pietra di paragone (Touchstones, 1998) and Serie fossile (Fossil Series, 2015). In addition to her poetic achievements, Calandrone has explored prose with works such as the pseudo-novel L'infinito mélo (The Infinite Apple Tree, 2011) the novel Splendi come vita (You Shine like Life, 2021), shortlisted for Strega and Campiello Prizes, and Dove non mi hai portata: Mia madre, un caso di cronaca (Where You Didn't Take Me. My Mother, A News Story, 2022) her last novel, finalist for the Strega Prize. Calandrone's role as an editor and her involvement in various cultural projects showcase the depth of her impact on the Italian literary landscape. For more information, visit her website at www.mariagraziacalandrone.it.

Nicholas Benson holds a PhD in Italian (New York University, 1999) and a MFA in Writing (Vermont College of Fine Arts, 2009). His translations include the following volumes: Attilio Bertolucci's Winter Journey (Viaggio d'inverno, 2005); Aldo Palazzeschi's The Arsonist (L'incendiario, 2013), for which he was award- ed an NEA Translation Fellowship; and, with Elena Coda, Scipio Slataper's My Karst and My City (Il mio Carso, 2020), which was awarded the John Florio Prize by the Society of Translators (UK).

Beppe Cavatorta is Professor of Italian at the University of Arizona in Tucson. His scholarly articles and translations have been published in numerous journals in the U.S. and Italy. His own poetry has appeared internationally in several journals and in the two chapbooks La stanza sgombra (2020) and Istantanee di un amor de lonh (2020). He has authored or co-edited ten volumes, among them his monograph, Viaggio nella narrativa sperimentale italiana del XX secolo (2013), and the bilingual anthology of Italian Poetry Those Who from Afar Look Like Flies, with Luigi Ballerini (tome I, 2017; tome II, forthcoming 2026).

Edition details

• Publisher: Agincourt Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1946328421
• ISBN 13: 9781946328427
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112
• Editor: Cavatorta Beppe