The 14th poetry meeting La Forza della Poesia, which will take place May 4-12, 2024, in the Italian city of Frascati, located in the suburbs of the Italian capital, will be dedicated to Constantinos P. Cavafy (Alexandria, 1863-1933).
Forza della Poesia is a poetry meeting that now has a long tradition and 13 years of experience under its belt with previous events dedicated to poets from various eras and countries (Leopardy, Sappho, Lorca, Homer, Ariosto, etc.). The poetry week that takes place every year in early May in Frascati is aimed at the public of the wider area of the Italian capital and stands out for one special feature: the involvement and cooperation of all schools of all levels (from kindergarten to the last year of high school) of the wider Castelli Romani region, where the city of Frascati is located.
Following a proposal by the Myrsini Zorba Laboratory of Modern Greek Studies of the Sapienza University of Rome, the 14th Forza della poesia, organized under the auspices of the Sapienza Foundation, is dedicated to the Greek poet K. P. Cavafy and bears the title K. P. Cavafy. A plural poet (KP Kavafis. Un poeta plurale).
The aim of the event is to highlight the richness of Cavafy's poetry, the multiple approaches it can take, the dialogue of other arts with Cavafy's work and Italy's relationship with it.
This year, students from all the schools in the area, as well as a high school from the city of Milan, spent their year reading and studying Cavafy's poetry, while with the help of their teachers they prepared their own works inspired by Cavafy's poems and which they will present during the week of Forza della poesia (theater, readings, painting, visual arts, etc.). At the same time, they will have the opportunity to discuss Cavafy's poetry with scholars, translators, poets, painters and sculptors who will be invited to the 14th poetry meeting La Forza della poesia. Parallel events enrich the poetry week with activities covering many areas.
The program, among others, includes a painting exhibition (Eleni Pavlopoulou, Eros diafeghon, with works inspired by Cavafy's poems), a sculpture exhibition (Miguel Angel Giglio Bravo, with works inspired by the motifs of ancient Greek tragedy found in Cavafy's poetry), an installation exhibition (Georgos Melikis, Beds. From Cavafy and John to the Holocaust of the Jews), a ceramics exhibition with works inspired by Cavafy's poems, as well as the presentation of the audiovisual work “Τὰ δ' ἄλλα ἐν Ἅδου τοῖς κατό μυθησομαι” by Salvatore Insana.
On May 6, a group of poets from the Greek magazine Farmakos (Katerina Iliopoulou, Panagiotis Ioannidis, Phoebe Giannisi, Gianna Boukova, Thodoris Chiotis) will talk about their relationship with Cavafy and his work, about the appeal of Cavafy's poetry to the wider public, inside and outside Greece, and about the teaching of poetry in school.
On May 7, among other things, a seminar will be held for school teachers on teaching Cavafy in their classrooms (Christos Bintoudis, At School with Cavafy. A Scenario for an Imaginary High School). The seminar will discuss teaching scenarios that can be used to support the teaching of the poetry of Cavafy and other foreign poets in high schools in Italy.
On the morning of May 8, a concert will be held with the participation of the Tyrtarion choir of the Accademia Vivarium Novum under the direction of Özséb Áron Tóth, while afterwards the Italian poet Elio Pecora will discuss with the students of the schools of the area about Cavafy and his work and about poetry in general. In the afternoon of the same day, the event Cavafy through the eyes of the poets of Italy will take place with the participation of poets from Italy who will read and comment on the poetry of Alexandrinus (Elio Pecora, Silvia Bre, Anna Maria Farabbi, Nicola Bultrini, Sonia Gentili, Simone Zafferani). The event is curated by Christos Bintoudis. Tatiana Lygari will read the Greek texts. Francesca Zaccone coordinates.
On Friday, May 10, the well-known Italian translator of Cavafy, Paola Maria Minucci, will curate a translation workshop on Cavafy's poetry with the students and teachers of the high schools participating in the event, while in the afternoon of the same day, the Cavafy Poetry Reading Marathon will take place in public spaces in the historic center of the city of Frascati.
ertnews.gr
