A progressive analysis of politics and the arts.
The chance to talk about a piece of Italian media that makes it onto the international stage, especially through a platform such as Netflix, is rare to come by; even rarer is for that media to be of any actual quality. It was with pleasure, then, that I sat down to watch Strappare Lungo i Bordi (Tear Along the Dotted Line), written and directed by Italian comics superstar Zerocalcare.
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I recently moved to Forest Hill, and amongst the shops, pubs and restaurants, I found a pop-up gallery displaying the work of local artist Maria Luisa Azzini. Normally found in Greenwich Market, Azzini is originally from Florence, Italy, though she has been based in London for nearly twenty years now.
In the present times, the visual arts is just one of the many industries that needs support, with arguably very few industries not heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s possible to buy Azzini’s work from as little as £45 for a print (£55 framed), to a few hundred pounds for an original painting. Each print is unique as Azzini touches them up with small strokes of silver and gold.
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by Stu Lucy
Last time we met I penned a reflective piece that acknowledged not only my privilege but also the de facto situation of millions of people across the planet, not least in Africa, forced to make the difficult decision to leave all they know behind, hoping for a better life in alien and often hostile lands many thousand of miles away. I’d like now to rewind to the very beginning of that process to try and suggest why it is so many end up making such a choice.Continue Reading
by Alex Valente
Contains strong language.
If your opinion, if your ideology, if your personal mindset is that certain groups and communities of people are inferior to others, you do not deserve and will not be allowed to promote that idea. Fuck the notion of censorship, fuck the moderate, tolerant conversation, fuck the high road. Your ‘opinion’ denies the existence of a large portion of the world around you, and actively strives to suppress it. So you know what? Fuck you.Continue Reading
by Alex Valente
Original Italian by Verusca Costenaro (1974 – ), ‘Il coraggio che fa primavera’
It’ll be from your comicseyes
that a new courage will rise
for the autumn, it’ll tangle in the wind
and the wind will paint it snowinter
so that the sun may thaw it
fresh in spring, it’ll be
a bearing of violets and mixture of calls,
cerulean choir bearing life in the background to desire,
the sprint of wings on the field, to feed on the grass that will grow,
summervoice adorned of an evergreen yellow,
a remedy to the fears brought by good
dreams of a small evening in august.
Featured image via caffellattefirenze
The Norwich Radical is non-profit and run by volunteers. All funds raised help cover the maintenance costs of our website, as well as contributing towards future projects and events. Please consider making a small contribution and fund a better media future.
by Alex Valente
Original Italian by Anna Belozorovitch (Moscow, 1983 – ), ‘Il porto’ from Il Debito
The harbour breathes as everything changes;
it carries in its womb the still change,
the evolution to turmoil-based unexpectedness,
the summer heat. And it makes no soundContinue Reading
by Alex Valente
Original Italian by Biancamaria Frabotta (1946 – ), ‘L’estate delle stelle…’
The summer of stars less striking
encouraged locals and strangers
to hope in a return of ancient climates.
On the yellow grass unstable in the sparse
humours drinks remained half-full
another fuel to have sleepless nights.Continue Reading
by Alex Valente
Original Italian by Edith Bruck (1932-), ‘Amica sorella compagna nemica’
Friend sister comrade enemy
for one gesture of yours my pain
could still change and dissolve
at the tip of a mulberry tree
on the sleigh of two planks nailed
by the boy who behind the stable
would caress between our legs with feathers so soft.Continue Reading
by Alex Valente
Original Italian by Alessandra Carnaroli (1979-), ‘le bambine devono’. Part of Sartoria Utopia’s Calendario Utopico 2017.
little girls must be
little girls
with long hair
or short if sweaty
with rhinestones
and hairclips
and headbands
they get ready to have children
to behave
to earn less than boysContinue Reading
by Alex Valente
Original Italian by Evelina De Signoribus (1978 – ), ‘La fonte’
The day when you have only one thought
the sea shivers and the wheat moves the field
everything calls for the return
though the roads have never been this many
to choose but one, clearlyContinue Reading
The Norwich Radical is non-profit and run by volunteers. You can help us continue our work by becoming a supporter. All funds raised help cover the maintenance costs of our website, as well as contributing towards future projects and events.
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