Saturday, January 12, 2008

self-portrait



"To speak of oneself entails without doubt some distortion; the image we have of ourselves surely corresponds very little, almost not at all, to the reality of what we are. In any case, when one attempts to speak of an itinerary claiming to have wandered along the borderlands of poetry, the possibility of distortion increases, one might say, infinitely".

"Reality also appears early on to children in the tragedy of its contradictions; it even allows glimpses of its final nullity; and yet it always possesses moments (that are in no way 'rare' or 'privileged', because they are able to surprise us at any time, even during the deepest, most stagnant depression)in which it reveals its absolute dignity, or better, its 'worthiness' in existing, which has reasons solely within itself--all to be recognized, never all recognizable".

Andrea Zanzotto.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

these are wonderful quotes, i like that a lot, about that these moments never are rare and so on...where do you got the quotes from?

Anonymous said...

Aren't they pretty? Yes, that's the book I found in the library, it's U of Chicago Press, very nice edition, with pictures and even a drawing from Pasolini, a portrait, that is, from Pasolini to Zanzotto. But it's thanks to you that I looked for this. That book includes poems and prose selections! Cheers, Antonia!

Anonymous said...

oh yes i know it is a very pretty edition. thanks for your comment over there, the university is a pain and those 'hypes' as well. but luckily there are always such nice discoveries as Erpenbeck or Zanzotto or others...