After her tragical death in December 1938 at the early age of twenty-six, Antonia Pozzi’s poems – which she had been secretly writing for years – were brought to light and became the object of great critical attention, going through several editions in Italy and being translated into all the major European languages. Since then, her reputation has risen steadily, and she is now considered one of the greatest Italian poets of the twentieth century.
Acclaimed for the terseness and simplicity of her language, her poems show an acute power of observation and deep psychological introspection, revealing a mind akin to Emily Dickinson’s and Sylvia Plath’s, but also a unique and unmistakeably original voice. This new version by prize-winning poet and translator Peter Robinson perfectly renders the delicate undertones and that sense of longing which is such a distinctive feature of Pozzi’s poetry.
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'Purity of sound and precision of imagery were her natural gifts.'
Eugenio Montale
'Robinson's translation is faultless, the rush of her desire preserved in the words and syntax, so that further explanation is unnecessary… Peter Robinson's volume will revive interest in Pozzi's legacy and lend new weight to her words: "now you accept / you're a poet".'
TLS
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Read an excerpt from
Poems by Antonia Pozzi
