nick manho

that crazy woman poet who made me translate her first book of poems into english even though i couldn't understand the italian originals has been up to her old tricks again. her second book of poems is in the shops now and she also made me do the translations this time. i have to admit, though, that i understood a lot more second time around. after reading each poem about 40 or 50 times i started to get some idea of what she was hinting at. to be honest i even enjoyed one or two of them. i think.

here's the cover of the book:




and this is a photo of the crazy poet:




cute enough for facebook, right?


the book is 12 euros which is about the price of a big mac, coke and large fries. so, do yourself a favour, skip the trip to mcdonalds and buy the book with the money you've saved. and remember, if you don't go to mcdonalds you'll be saving the life of a cow, too.


BUY BOOK HERE

here's a free sample:


Nomina Nuda Tenemus


The island emerged divine in a month
of earthquakes, aurorae boreales
and columns of smoke like vessels on fire,
while emissions of hydrogen sulphide
took the lustre off the silverware.


The eruption over, the two craters
turned into small mineral ponds:
entering from the north, their iron-sulphur
waters steamed in columns
reaching several metres in height.


The British Navy set foot
on its shore, fresh with ashes
and treacherous to walk on: planted
the flag and named it after Graham,
the First Lord of the Admiralty.


The French left a plaque
the Neapolitans stuck an oar in.
By Royal Act of August 17,
the many-named island was annexed
to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.


Of the diplomatic incident
and the rattling of swords, the island's
incoherence had the better: the volcanic
edifice eroded and its remnants
readily merged with the sea.


That which remains, the Graham Bank,
sleeps the sleep of the rest of the seabed
balanced upon the grinding plates:
and is a pure possibility
of dry land, distinct from a mirage.


and if you're too thick to understand what the poem's about check out this informative wikipedia link:
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isola_Ferdinandea