Futurism: An Anthology

by Lawrence Rainey, Christine Poggi (Editor), Laura Wittman (Editor)

In 1909, F.T. Marinetti published his incendiary Futurist Manifesto, proclaiming, “We stand on the last promontory of the centuries!!” and “There, on the earth, the earliest dawn!” Intent on delivering Italy from “its fetid cancer of professors, archaeologists, tour guides, and antiquarians,” the Futurists imagined that art, architecture, literature, and music would function like a machine, transforming the world rather than merely reflecting it. But within a decade, Futurism's utopian ambitions were being wedded to Fascist politics, an alliance that would tragically mar its reputation in the century to follow.

 

Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the founding of Futurism, this is the most complete anthology of Futurist manifestos, poems, plays, and images ever to bepublished in English, spanning from 1909 to 1944. Now, amidst another era of unprecedented technological change and cultural crisis, is a pivotal moment to reevaluate Futurism and its haunting legacy for Western civilization.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Art History, Art, Architecture, Anthologies, Futurism

624 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2007

About the author

Lawrence S. Rainey is a university professor and writer/editor on the classic works of Anglo-American modernism.

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acknowledgments
Introduction: F. T. Marinetti and the Development of Futurism, by Lawrence Rainey

Part One: Manifestos and Theoretical Writings

Introduction to Part One, Lawrence Rainey

--The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism (1909), F. T. Marinetti
--Let's Murder the Moonlight! (1909), F. T. Marinetti
--Manifesto of the Futurist Painters (1910), Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Luigi Russolo, Giacomo Balla, and Gino Severini
--Against Passéist Venice (1910), F. T. Marinetti, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, and Luigi Russolo
--Futurist Speech to the English (1910), F. T. Marinetti
--Futurism and Woman (1910), Margaret Wynne Nevinson
--Manifesto of Futurist Musicians (1911), Francesco Balilla Pratella
--Futurist Music: Technical Manifesto (1911), Francesco Balilla Pratella

Selections from Le Futurisme (1911), translated as Guerra, sola igiene del mondo (1915), F. T. Marinetti:
--War, the Only Hygiene of the World
--Contempt for Woman
--Multiplied Man and the Reign of the Machine
--We Abjure Our Symbolist Masters, the Last Lovers of the Moon
--The Pleasure of Being Booed
--Electrical War

--The Exhibitors to the Public (1912), Giacomo Balla, Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carrà, Luigi Russolo, and Gino Severini
--Manifesto of the Futurist Woman (Response to F. T. Marinetti) (1912), Valentine de Saint-Point
--Futurist Sculpture (1912), Umberto Boccioni
--Technical Manifesto of Futurist Literature (1912), F. T. Marinetti
--A Response to Objections (1912), F. T. Marinetti
--Futurist Manifesto of Lust (1913), Valentine de Saint-Point
--The Art of Noises: A Futurist Manifesto (1913), Luigi Russolo
--The Plastic Foundations of Futurist Sculpture and Painting (1913), Umberto Boccioni
--Destruction of Syntax--Radio Imagination--Words-in-Freedom (1913), F. T. Marinetti
--Futurist Anti-tradition (1913), Guillaume Apollinaire
--The Painting of Sounds, Noises, and Smells (1913), Carlo Carrà
--The Variety Theater (1913), F. T. Marinetti
--Plastic Analogies of Dynamism: Futurist Manifesto (1913), Gino Severini
--The Subject in Futurist Painting (1914), Ardengo Soffici
--Down with the Tango and Parsifal! (1914), F. T. Marinetti
--The Circle Is Closing (1914), Giovanni Papini
--Geometrical and Mechanical Splendor and the Numerical Sensibility (1914), F. T. Marinetti
--Weights, Measures, and Prices of Artistic Genius: Futurist Manifesto (1914), Bruno Corra, Emilio Settimelli
--Absolute Motion + Relative Motion = Dynamism (1914), Umberto Boccioni
--Futurist Men's Clothing: A Manifesto (1914), Giacomo Balla
--Futurism and English Art (1914), F. T. Marinetti and Christopher Nevinson
--Futurist Architecture (1914), Antonio Sant'Elia
--The Antineutral Suit: Futurist Manifesto (1914), Giacomo Balla
--The Futurist Synthetic Theater (1915), F. T. Marinetti, Emilio Settimelli, and Bruno Corra
--Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe (1915), Giacomo Balla and Fortunato Depero
--Futurist Stage Design (1915), Enrico Prampolini
--The Futurist Political Movement (1915), F. T. Marinetti
--Dynamic and Synoptic Declamation (1916), F. T. Marinetti
--The New Religion-Morality of Speed (1916), F. T. Marinetti
--The Futurist Cinema (1916), F. T. Marinetti, Bruno Corra, Emilio Settimelli, Arnaldo Ginna, Giacomo Balla, and Remo Chiti
--Women of the Near Future [1] (1917), Rosa Rosà
--Manifesto of Futurist Dance (1917), F. T. Marinetti
--Variations on the Theme of "Woman." To Save Woman??!! (1917), Giovanni Fiorentino
--A Tranquil Thought (1917), Enif Robert
--Women of the Near Future [2] (1917), Rosa Rosà
--Manifesto of the Italian Futurist Party (1918), F. T. Marinetti
--The Vote for Women (1919), Futurluce
--Futurist Manifesto of Women's Fashion (1920), Volt
--Beyond Communism (1920), F. T. Marinetti
--Tactilism (1921), F. T. Marinetti
--The Theater of Surprise (1921), F. T. Marinetti and Francesco Cangiullo
--Manifesto of Futurist Mechanical Art (1922), Ivo Pannaggi and Vinicio Paladini
--The Italian Empire (1923), F. T. Marinetti, Mario Carli, and Emilio Settimelli
--Fascism and Futurism (1923), Giuseppe Prezzolini
--Futurist Sensibility (1927), Benedetta
--Electrical Advertising Signs: An Open Letter to His Excellency Mussolini (1927), F. T. Marinetti
--Manifesto of Aeropainting (1929), Giacomo Balla, Benedetta, Fortunato Depero, Gerardo Dottori, Fillia, F. T. Marinetti, Enrico Prampolini, Mino Somenzi, and Tato
--Manifesto of Futurist Sacred Art (1931), F. T. Marinetti and Fillia
--Futurism and Advertising Art (1931), Fortunato Depero
--The Radia: Futurist Manifesto (1933), F. T. Marinetti and Pino Masnata
--Bas-Relief Murals (1934), Fillia
--Response to Hitler (1937), F. T. Marinetti
--Qualitative Imaginative Futurist Mathematics (1941), F. T. Marinetti with Marcello Puma and Pino Masnata

Part Two: Visual Repertoire

Introduction to Part Two, Christine Poggi

--Documentary Photographs and Materials
--Selection of Futurist Journals

Works by Artists:
--Giacomo Balla
--Benedetta (Benedetta Cappa Marinetti)
--Umberto Boccioni
--Francesco Cangiullo
--Carlo Carrà
--Mario Chiattone
--Fortunato Depero
--Gerardo Dottori
--Farfa (Vittorio Osvaldo Tommasini)
--Fillia (Luigi Colombo)
--Arnaldo Ginna (Arnaldo Ginnanni Corradini)
--Virgilio Marchi
--Étienne-Jules Marey
--F. T. Marinetti
--Marisa Mori
--Bruno Munari
--Vinicio Paladini and Ivo Pannaggi
--Ivo Pannaggi
--Enrico Prampolini
--Regina (Regina Bracchi)
--Ottone Rosai
--Luigi Russolo
--Valentine de Saint-Point
--Antonio Sant'Elia
--Gino Severini
--Mario Sironi
--Ardengo Soffici
--Tato (Guglielmo Sansoni)
--Thayaht (Ernesto Michahelles)
--Rougena Zatkova

Part Three: Creative Works

Introduction to Part Three: Stars-in-Freedom and the Dark Night of Futurism, Laura Wittman

The Simultaneous City
--Shadowy Intricacies, Libero Altomare
--Express Train No. 89, Adele Gloria
--For Electric Venice, Corrado Govoni
--To My Pegasus, F. T. Marinetti
--Café, Ardengo Soffici
--High-Society Shoe + Urine, Umberto Boccioni
--Noise-Making Onomatopoeia Typewriter, Giacomo Balla

Words-in-Freedom War
--Bombardment, F. T. Marinetti
--Arsonist, Aldo Palazzeschi
--War, a Heroic Poem, Valentine de Saint-Point
--The Missile, Enrico Cavacchioli
--The Submarine, Luciano Folgore
--A Medium's Musings (Musing No. 3), Carlo Carrà
--Terrifying Tenderness, F. T. Marinetti

The Metamorphoses of the Moon
--A Woman with Three Souls, Rosa Rosà
--The Usual Song, Gian Pietro Lucini
--Courage + Truth, Enif Robert and F. T. Marinetti
--Torments, Armando Mazza
--Filtered Nights, Mario Carli
--The Diver, Corrado Govoni
--Let's Laugh at the Universe, Irma Valeria
--Letter from Astra, Astra's Diary, Benedetta
--Variations, Maria Ginanni
--State of Mind, Adele Gloria
--Consciousnesses, Primo Conti
--Torment, Anna Maria Mazza
--Beggars of the Azure, Irma Valeria

Technical War
--The Creative Anxiety of the Hydroelectric Plant Nera Velino, Franca Maria Corneli
--Simultaneous Poetry of Woven Light, F. T. Marinetti
--Petroleum Song, Maria Goretti
--Russian Originality of Masses Distances Radiohearts, F. T. Marinetti
--Bay of Naples, Laura Serra

Theater, Aeropoetry, and Tactilism
--Genius and Culture, Umberto Boccioni
--Fidelity, Mina della Pergola
--The Ladies' Man and the Four Seasons, Francesco Cangiullo
--Gray + Red + Violet + Orange, Bruno Corra and Emilio Settimelli
--The Bases, F. T. Marinetti
--Alternation of Character, Arnaldo Ginna and Bruno Corra
--The Aquatic Kiss, F. T. Marinetti
--Palio-Explosion of Sienese Dynamism, Dina Cucini
--The Lake of Poetry and Romance, F. T. Marinetti
--Cosmic Genesis, Bruno Sanzin
--Human Forces: Striving Toward Differentiation, Benedetta
--Quarter Hour of Poetry of the Xth MAS (Sentiments Set to Music), F. T. Marinetti

Biographical Sketches
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Text Credits

[Anima]

‘Marinetti, impressed by the success of the Futurist painters, returned to his own field of interest, literature. “I’m searching furiously,” he wrote to one correspon- dent, “and at the same time abandoning myself to the maddest inspirations of the unconscious.”32 The outcome was the “Technical Manifesto of Futurist Literature” (119–125), a work which some critics view as a landmark in modern aesthetics.32 It demanded an unprecedented transformation of literary syntax, enjoining the elimination of adjectives, the abolition of adverbs, the removal of all connecting conjunctions (such as like), and the suppression of the first terms of a comparison in favor of a continuous image-flow, a language composed of pure metaphors. Instead, it urged the use of onomatopoeia and dynamic typography based on the latest advertising graphics. Verbs, above all, were to be used only in the infinitive form, a practice that would dissever the logical connection between subject and predicate (e.g., “he to fly”). The result would be words-in-freedom, a new idiom synchronized to the radios, telephones, phonographs, airplanes, and cinemas inun- dating the new century. But it was not the bare precepts that endowed the “Tech- nical Manifesto” with such power, but the way they complemented the narrative vignette that opens the work, a sketch depicting the narrator as he sits in a biplane flying five hundred meters above Milan. His vertiginous vision of the city below vanishes in an ecstatic trance, his speech yielding to the voice of the machine itself: “And this is what the propeller told me.” (This loss of selfhood, in turn, finds its counterpart among the later injunctions: “We must destroy the ‘I.’”)’

[Michael Primiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of Futurism primary sources