An English-language podcast based on Giovanni Pascoli’s Poemi Conviviali

In 2022, the publishing house Italica Press (New York) published a new complete translation of Giovanni Pascoli‘s Poemi conviviali by Elena Borelli and James Ackhurst.

Soon after the publication, Elena Borelli and James Ackhurst began performing readings of the translation. They read the poems at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in March 2023 and at the Accademia Pascoliana in Italy in July 2023. These readings were accompanied by the sound of the harp, an instrument that features prominently in Convivial Poems, and read by professional actors. Pianist and composer Giovanni Tardini and harpist Marianne Gubri soon began composing tunes specifically for the poems.

From these performances of music and poetry, Elena Borelli had the idea of creating a podcast, with a view of introducing Convivial Poems to a broader audience in the English-speaking world. The podcast dedicates an episode to each poem, delving into the enthralling tales that inspired Giovanni Pascoli. Esteemed scholars and translators provide lively discussions and invaluable insights. Listeners have the opportunity to experience the poems in English, recited by talented actors and actresses and accompanied by evocative harp music composed for the poems.

The completed podcast series consists of twenty episodes, each dedicated to one poem (or, in special cases, to half a poem, as with “L’Ultimo Viaggio / The Last Voyage”, or to two short companion poems, such as “Ate” and “La Madre / Mother”).

Each episode concludes with a reading of the poem in one of its available English translations, performed by London-based actors and accompanied by original harp compositions played by musicians such as Marianne Gubri, Mark Harmer, and Arianna Mornico.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube, as well as on its dedicated website (www.poemiconviviali.com) which also offers the original Italian texts, interview transcripts, musical tracks, and additional translations.