Terminal Events

Résumé du livre

Poetry. Translated by John Taylor. Edited by Karl Kvitko. Cover art by Luce de Palchi. The great Italian poet Alfredo de Palchi died in August of this year at age 93 after a long, defiant and mocking poetical battle with Lady Leukemia. TERMINAL EVENTS ends a life in poetry well planned: it presents an imagined discourse with poet Eugenio Montale, a fanciful and self-deprecatory autobiography, and a liberation of the planet Earth from the cruelty of man, with de Palchi's undying rage against violence, his glorification of Mother Nature and his love of freedom much in evidence.

Amazing Alfredo de Palchi! Ever since the turn of the century, which also coincides with his increasing and serious health problems, the hard-working and very determined Italian poet continues to aim his frank and fierce poetry at endings, not to mention apocalypses. Although this theme is also present in his early work, it nonetheless now stands in greater contrast to another key theme that runs through his previous writing: the search for and examination of the origin, the first principle, or the first cause... the whole scope of a lifetime for this poet whose passion for living, writing poetry, and publishing work by other poets has deeply impressed all of us who have had the chance of working with him and knowing him well.--John Taylor