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Poetry of Cities of LiteraturePaola Loreto

We continue our journey into the poetry of the Italian City of Literature — Milano City of Literature.

Today, we invite you to explore the poetry of Paola Loreto, In the Next Life (Nella prossima vita), in a Ukrainian translation by Anna Streminska.

Paola Loreto was born in Bergamo, Italy, and teaches American literature at the University of Milan. She is the author of six poetry collections, as well as several smaller collections and art books, which have received various prizes and awards. Her poems have been translated into English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish. She also translates American poets. Her latest collection is Miei lari (My Larai, Marcos y Marcos, 2024).

We invite you to listen to the poem in Italian, performed by Paola:


In the next life
In the next lifewe’ll have a house: you and me.A vegetable patch, a garden.(Black fig, red maple.)Hands in the earth, on ourbody. Inside a woodfire, the wood whereonwe walk. Whitebut unvarnished.In the life to comewe’ll have a babyshaggy and darkpassionate, wild.We won’t be afraid.We’ll leave the endto the others. We’ll begin.
from houses | stripped, translated by Lawrence Venuti, Toad Press, 2018


The project was created by the Odesa UNESCO City of Literature and being implemented with funds raised by Reykjavik City of Literature Reykjavík Bókmenntaborg UNESCO as part of the readings initiated by Milano City of Literature “Not Just Words” (Reading for Odesa) on February 24, 2024.

Illustration

© Created by Odesa Unesco City of Literature

Website created with the support of Ukrainian Cosmopolis

All rights Reserved

Illustration

© Created by Odesa Unesco City of Literature

Website created with the support of Ukrainian Cosmopolis

All rights Reserved