Paolo Buzzi Italian writer, one of the founders of futurism Date of Birth: 15.02.1874 Country: Italy

Biography of Paolo Buzzi

Paolo Buzzi was an Italian writer and one of the founders of Italian Futurism. He wrote prolifically in various genres and was a close collaborator of Filippo Marinetti, making him one of the pioneers of Italian Futurism. Despite this, Buzzi remains largely unknown to many, as Futurism is often associated solely with Marinetti. Buzzi and Marinetti first met in 1905. That same year, in Milan, Buzzi, Marinetti, and other Futurist poets founded the journal "Poesia," which played a significant role in establishing Futurism and avant-garde art in Italy. The pages of the journal proclaimed a liberation from the dominant classical tradition of Carducci and partially D'Annunzio prevalent in literature at the time. It was also in "Poesia" that the Futurists, including Buzzi, published their early works. In 1909, Buzzi and his comrades published the Manifesto of Italian Futurism. "We will sing," it declared, "of the arsenals and shipyards, bathed in the powerful light of electric moons, factories suspended from the clouds by the twisted threads of their smoke, broad-chested locomotives, trampling the tracks like galloping steel horses, and the gliding flight of airplanes, whose propellers tremble in the air like flags or the applause of an admiring crowd." However, before becoming an inspired singer of electricity and creating one of his most famous poetry collections, "Aeroplanes" (1909), Buzzi underwent an evolution. He entered the Italian literary scene early, at the age of 17, with the publication of his first poetry collection, "Empty Cradle," in 1891. These early poems, by the native Milanese, showed a clear influence from the style of Giuseppe Carducci, the last Italian classical poet. However, Buzzi's poetic choices were primarily influenced by Scapigliatura, a literary movement that emerged in the literary circles of Milan in the second half of the 19th century. Scapigliatura was a response to the prevailing disillusionment and emotional emptiness caused by the collapse of the ideals of the Risorgimento in Italy at that time. Pessimism replaced Romanticism, and the very name of the movement, "scapigliatura" (which means "disheveled fellowship"), signified the "disheveled" nature of emotions and the disappointment of expectations. Furthermore, Scapigliatura proclaimed a disregard for literary authorities and a desire for creative freedom, undoubtedly foreshadowing the emergence of Futurism. However, despite its influence, Buzzi and his poetry always stood somewhat apart. In 1958, two years after Buzzi's death, his Milanese friends and poetic colleagues published a collection titled "In Memory of Paolo Buzzi," which contains highly favorable reviews and recollections that vividly characterize the personality of this poet. Marco Ramperti, a Futurist, recalls, "Remember? That evening, we had just opened a bottle of champagne. Amidst the splashes of sparkling wine, in the euphoria of unexpected friendship, in an atmosphere of a particular Milanese brotherhood, a spark of bravado was born: 'Whoever takes second-class tickets, hoping to save money, will spend their whole life traveling second class. The same goes for art. What do you say, Giuseppe?' 'I say that today, as long as I arrive somewhere, some people are willing to ride in a cattle car. And you, Marco, what do you think?' 'First class, first class all the way!' And you, Paolo?' Your answer was like thunder, and the look and expression with which you responded remain in my heart: 'I don't ride first or second class. My place is on the locomotive!'" Buzzi's response speaks of a strong personality accustomed to taking charge and knowing his goal. This is influenced by his social position: having received a law education, he entered government service at an early age and served for 15 years as the Secretary General of the Milan City Administration. However, his bureaucratic career did not hinder his dedication to his creative pursuits, which yielded impressive results. Buzzi's literary output includes 15 collections of poetry (as well as 10 unpublished ones), 7 novels, 4 novellas, 12 verse tragedies, numerous librettos, and translations, including an 11-syllable verse translation of the "Aeneid." Among the plays that revolve around historical events and are dedicated to outstanding personalities are "Luther," "Henry III," "Cervantes," "Poe," "Amundsen," and, notably, the tragedy "Peter the Great" in 5 acts, written in free verse. However, much of Buzzi's literary legacy remains unknown to Russian readers, as well as to the majority of Italians, as a significant portion of his work has yet to be published.