Clemente Rebora: the tragedy of war and the poetic language. Translation of «Lazarus» and war poetry.

Abstract

20^th century anthropological catastrophes require a renewed understanding of nature and functions of poetry, which Theodor Adorno brought into question in his work “Prisms: cultural criticism and society” (1949). In the article the experience of the great Italian poet Clemente Rebora (1885-1957) is examined. The experiences he had as a soldier during World War I led him to discover poetry as a way to express the inexpressible. Rebora’s work and especially his translation of Leonid Andreyev’s short story (Lazarus) is examined and it is shown how translation helps get over the silence and return to poetry.