La rabbia / Anger

by Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dominic Jaeckle (Editor), Cristina Viti (Translator)

Written in response to producer Gastone Ferranti’s request for his comments on a set of newsreel items, the poet would respond with a montage of his own. Via the unfolding of a chrysalis of images, in La rabbia (1963), Pasolini’s lens pans over Soviet repression in Hungary; the Cuban revolution; (the utopian object of) space exploration; political imprisonment in Algeria; the liberation of the former European colonies; the election of Pope John xxiii; the prospect of revolution in Africa and the Middle East; in Europe and in Latin America... Here, we’ve a panoply of photorealist intimations. The death of Marilyn Monroe crests as an idea in this tidal pooling of reflections, as the poet’s line lights out for conceptual rhymes and counterpoints. In Viti’s translation, the weave of prose and poetry that forms La rabbia portrays the vitality of Pasolini’s work in its capacity to speak to both the specifics of his contexts, the character of our own present tense, and the ironic fact of a life lived against the gulf of discontent in its myriad forms. Here, we’ve a startling confrontation of a revolutionary struggle in stasis set in lines that crystallise in a rallying call against blindness. Alongside a first, unabridged English language translation of Pasolini's 'Sequences,' the Tenement Press publication of La rabbia also includes an introduction by Roberto Chiesi (cultural director of the Centro Studi—Archivio Pier Paolo Pasolini, Cineteca di Bologna), and an afterword by storyteller, novelist, essayist, and screenwriter, John Berger.

262 pages, Paperback

Published November 27, 2022

About the author

Italian poet, novelist, critic, essayst, journalist, translator, dramatist, film director, screenwriter and philosopher, often regarded as one of the greatest minds of XX century, was murdered violently in Rome in 1975 in circumstances not yet been clarified. Pasolini is best known outside Italy for his films, many of which were based on literary sources - The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, The Decameron, The Canterbury Tales...

Pasolini referred himself as a 'Catholic Marxist' and often used shocking juxtapositions of imagery to expose the vapidity of values in modern society.
His essays and newspaper articles often critized the capitalistic omologation and also often contributed to public controversies which had made him many enemies. In the weeks leading up to his murder he had condemned Italy's political class for its corruption, for neo-fascist terrorist conspiracy and for collusion with the Mafia and the infamous "Propaganda 2" masonic lodge of Licio Gelli and Eugenio Cefis.

His friend, the writer Alberto Moravia, considered him "the major Italian poet" of the second half of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Avery Marley · Rating 5 out of 5]

La rabbia / Anger showcases Pier Paolo Pasolini at his most politically and poetically charged. Through a unique weave of prose and verse, Pasolini confronts the discontents of the 20th century, from revolutions and repression to cultural upheavals, while maintaining a timeless relevance to our present. Cristina Viti’s English translation captures the urgency and intensity of Pasolini’s vision, making this centenary edition a vital introduction to his revolutionary sensibility.

[Mery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pasolini poeta.
Pasolini director.
Pasolini artista.
Pasolini militante.
Son todos el mismo Pasolini pero a la vez son distintos, como las caras de un cristal.