Selected Poems and Related Prose

Book Description
F.T. Marinetti (1876-1944) is widely known as the founder of Futurism, an early twentieth-century cultural revolution. This volume, a translation of more than forty poems and prose works by Marinetti, presents premier examples of his rich poetic creations, many for the first time in English. The collection represents the entire span of the poet’s career, and it includes Marinetti’s early lyrical works, poems of battle, "Words in Freedom," and love poems to his wife. There is also a biography of Marinetti and a critical review of his poetic accomplishment.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian, French

About the Author
Luce Marinetti, the daughter of F.T. Marinetti, resides in Rome. Elizabeth R. Napier is professor of English at Middlebury College. Barbara R. Studholme is a freelance translator residing in Charlottesville, Virginia. Paolo Valesio is professor of Italian language and literature at Yale University.


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The volume begins with Marinetti's early lyrical works, poems that exemplify styles and themes that he later reacted against in his own manifestos. It continues with his poems of battle. In which Marinetti used the language of machines and explosions to express his view of poetry as reportage from the front: "Words in Freedom," in which he declared war on poetry by destroying syntax and spelling and by experimenting with typography; and finally love poems to his wife, Benedetta, in which he returned in part to subjects and forms that he had previously rejected. The volume includes a prefatory biography of Marinetti written by Luce Marinetti as well as a critical review by Paolo Valesio of Marinetti's accomplishment as a poet.


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