Giovanni Cecchetti's Nomad Diary begins with "The Great Valley", a superb long poem which shows the course of the planet framing the course of humankind and civilization. Following poems feature mesmerizing crocodiles, crazy cypresses, giant mosquitoes, the "pollen of jazz" of New Orleans, drunken islands, and an enchanted teenager in the sea. A short collection of elegant epigrams rounds out the volume. The West and Southwest were dear to Cecchetti and appear throughout the book. His essay "On Writing Poetry in a Foreign Land" has been translated here by Raymond Petrillo.
"Roberta L. Payne's translation of Giovanni Cecchetti's 'Diario nomade', accompanied by an enlightening and useful introductory essay, is welcome and timely. It is accurate and philologically sound; it has the flavor, sense, and poetic attributes of the original. Scholars and students will be thankful for the publication of well-translated poetry such as this." (Michael Lettieri, Professor of Italian and Chair, Department of French, German and Italian University of Toronto at Mississauga)
"Roberta L. Payne's splendid, faithful yet beautiful translation of Giovanni Cecchetti's 'Diario nomade' is going to keep alive and make better known to the English-speaking world one of the most distinguished Italian poetical voices of the last half of the twentieth century. This homage to a significant poet was overdue; and for this reason it is most welcome." (Paolo Cherchi, Professor Emeritus, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, The University of Chicago)
"Roberta L. Payne's splendid, faithful yet beautiful translation of Giovanni Cecchetti's 'Diario nomade' is going to keep alive and make better known to the English-speaking world one of the most distinguished Italian poetical voices of the last half of the twentieth century. This homage to a significant poet was overdue; and for this reason it is most welcome." (Paolo Cherchi, Professor Emeritus, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, The University of Chicago)







