Trafika Europe 14 - Italian Piazza

TRAFIKA EUROPE 14 - ITALIAN PIAZZA Editors’Welcome To catch the pulse of life in an Italian town, head to a piazza – a center of community there for millenia. With our modest selections in this issue, we hope to give some flavor of current Italian literature. We start with Edgardo Franzosini ’s The Animal Gazer. This work, which the New York Times praises for its “[l]impid, laser-sharp prose” is a quirky, striking biopic inspired by the sculptor, Rembrandt Bugatti. Following that, Elisa Biagini ’s new poems speak of the all-in-all with precision in every stanza – a real treat. And check out our brief video of her poem, “When the eye grows dim,” with painting animation by Mark Boston. Piero Schiavo Campos’ The Man at One Kelvin Degrees introduces a bit of mystery, fusing speculative fiction and detective fiction into one genre. Nicola Lagioia’s Ferocity highlights a different sort of detective fiction, turned into family drama. Federico Federici ’s Extra Passwords poems are full of mercy and love. A Perfect Idiot by Frank Iodice explores a relationship entanglement across two countries. Irene Chias’ Lessons in Torture and Seduction is a timely contribution to the #MeToo conversation

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