Today’s poetry news roundup looks at the statue sparking a row in Italy, the home of a Nobel Prize winner that is up for sale and a planned statue in honour of an American poet.
Statue Inspired by Work of Poet Sparks Row
A bronze statue which was sculpted by an artist named Emanuele Stifano which was unveiled in Sapri, Southern Italy, on Saturday has sparked a sexism row in the country.
The statue has been created in tribute to the poem The Gleaner of Sapri (La Spigolatrice di Sapri). This was penned in 1857 by Luigi Mercantini. The poem tells the story of an unsuccessful expedition that was led by Carlo Pisacane who was one of the first socialist thinkers of Italy, against the Kingdom of Naples.
The figure portrayed in the statue is a peasant woman clad in a see-through dress, the dress is clinging to her figure, and she is peering over her shoulder.
There has been a huge amount of outcry over the statue with people calling for it to be removed – the sculptor however is standing by his work and says that if he had had his way, he would actually have made the figure naked as he is a lover of the human form. He believes that those who are offended by the statue only want to see depravity and not the artform.
The leader of the Democratic party declared that the statue was an
A number of female politicians have called for the statue to be removed.
Hampstead Home of Rabindranath Tagore to be Sold
For a few months in 1912, the Nobel Prize winner and poet Rabindranath Tagore lived at Number 3 Villas on the Heath in Hampstead, London. Now the property has been put up for sale for £2.65 million.
Tagore, who was the first Nobel Prize for Literature, who was not European was a poet, campaigner and essayist. He was also an advocate for multiculturalism.
The Grade II listed property features a blue plaque to indicate the time that Tagore spent there. It was whilst he was living in London that he wrote Gitanjali, Song Offerings, his most well-known work. The collection was praised by other members of the literary community including WB Yeats. It was this collection that resulted in his win of the Nobel prize in 1913.
Agents who are selling the house believe that its history, link to the poet and the blue plaque are all bonuses that may make the property a very interesting buy., although they have been quick to stress that it is a stunning property with a lot going for it.
There have already been suggestions that the sale of the property has sparked some interest from the Indian Government who may be considering turning the building into a museum or memorial.
Statue Planned for First Published Female Poet in America
The town of North Andover in Massachusetts is planning a statue in honour of Anne Bradstreet. Bradstreet was the first writer from the North American colonies to be published and the most prominent of the early English poets from North America.
You must register to comment. Log in or Register.