The Nobel Prize in Literature 1959
Salvatore Quasimodo
Salvatore Quasimodo (1901-1968) was
born of Sicilian parents in Modica, near Syracuse. Desiring to become an
engineer, he attended technical schools in Palermo and later
enrolled at the Politecnico in Rome. In addition, he studied
Latin and Greek at the University there. However, for economic
reasons he was unable to complete his studies. He obtained a
position with the Italian government's civil engineering corps
and was sent to various parts of Italy. In 1930 he had three
poems published in the avant-garde review, Solaria, and later
that same year appeared his first book of verse, Acque e
terre (Waters and Lands). Two years later he published
Òboe sommerso (Sunken Oboe), in which he proves a
more mature poet. The "poetica della parole", the poetics of the
word, which is, for Quasimodo, the fundamental and virtually
limitless connotative unit, pervades his first book. While this
concept still serves as the basis for Òboe sommerso,
the main interest of this collection lies in the rhythmical
arrangement of words around a lyrical nucleus. In both these and
his later works Sicily is the constant, ever-present
factor.
Between 1930 and 1938, the year he left his government position,
he made the acquaintance of many prominent Italian authors and
painters. In 1938 he became editor of the weekly magazine,
Tempo, and three years later was appointed to the chair of
Italian Literature at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in
Milan.
During the 1930's Quasimodo was a leader of the "Hermetic" school
of poetry; however, with the appearance of his translations
Lirici Greci (Greek Lyrics), 1940, it was obvious that his
direction was no longer entirely along the lines of that group.
In Nuove Poesie (New Poems), 1942, Quasimodo reveals both
the influence of classical stylistics and a greater understanding
of life in general. His subsequent translations, which range from
the Greek and Latin poets (Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides, Ovid,
Vergil, etc.) to Shakespeare and Molière and
twentieth-century writers (Neruda, e.e. cummings, Aiken, etc.),
reflect his full appreciation of the original works as well as
his modern taste and sensibility.
During the Second World War Quasimodo experienced the need of the
poet to feel one with the people and to declare himself as such
in his poems. To him the role of the poet in society is a
neccessarily active one; he should commit himself and his talents
to contemporary struggles. Such views were first expressed in
Giorno dopogiorno (Day after Day), 1946, and La vita
non è sogno (Life Is Not a Dream), 1949.
Quasimodo's later works show this change from individualism
toward sociality, and moreover affirm the positive
characteristics of life even in a world where death is an
omnipresent fear. In La terra impareggiabile (The
Incomparable Earth), 1958, Quasimodo has eloquently attempted to
fuse life andliterature; he has developed a new language which
coincides with man's new activities and ever-expanding
investigations. Some of his poetry and two of his critical essays
have appeared in English translation in The SelectedWritings
of Salvatore Quasimodo (1960); his Selected Poems were
published in 1965.
The recipient of many literary prizes - in 1953, for instance,
together with Dylan Thomas, he was awarded the Etna-Taormina
International Prize in Poetry -, Quasimodo died in Naples on June
I4, 1968.
From Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969
This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.
Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 1959
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