The “weapons” of a poem of “‘peace, love and hope” against the horrors of the war in Ukraine, but also in Gaza, in the Holy Land, to condemn all the ongoing conflicts and put an end to what Pope Francis, first, and now Leone XIV, denounce as the “third world war in pieces”. It looks like a dream. Perhaps just an unrealizable utopia. But there are those who are trying to us equally. At least on a moral and intellectual level. This is demonstrated by the literary recognition of journalistic criticism conferred on lyric On the sidelines of the war in Ukrainebut above all, the umpteenth cry of condemnation and pain that rises from the Mimesis Poetry National Prize – now in its XXVIII edition – as part of the Special Prize for Lyrics of denunciation 2025. The event – scheduled in Itri (Latina) on the evening of August 23 in the suggestive setting of the Museum of Brigantaggio – sees this year the participation of over a thousand lyrics created by hundreds of poets from all regions from all regions from all regions from all regions. Italian. Three absolute winners for as many categories in competition (publishers, unpublished and press prize) which will be ideally accompanied by a soundtrack made on the greatest successes of Pino Daniele on the occasion of the ten -year of the disappearance. The evening, conceived and supervised by the artistic director and poet Patrizia Stefanelli, founder of the prize together with the late Nicola Maggiarra (poet and writer), will be characterized by a harmonious alternation of music and readings by a team of professional actors, with the performance of the group Black in half, tribute band “Pino Daniele”. The highlights of the event, conducted by the journalist Gaetano Orticelli, the awards of the winning lyrics selected by a jury of poets, writers and teachers chaired by Professor Nazario Pardini, an emeritus emeritus of Italian language and literature, poet, essayist and literary critic. The same winning poets will explain the genesis of their lyrics and to read them.
For the category of unpublished poems, the first prize will be awarded to lyric A certain sober by Silvio Raffo (art name by Silvio della Porta Rodiani Carrara), followed by The days of loves by Giovanni Case e The story by Mauro Spinicci. “I find in poetry A Certain Sober A Pascoli atmosphere and the sense of the transience of human things as opposed to the eternity of the memory, the concept of this is really love (not eros, but the correspondence of love senses), which lasts and makes hope in the nebulous future, but … sure, “explains the critic Mario Manfio in the motivation of the prize. For the poems published, the palm of the first classified will go to Vincent’s old man by Franco Fiorini; second classified Triptych of mourning by Vito Sorrenti and third, The Roman Trattoriathe only lyric in the Roman dialect of Massimiliano Giannocco. Here’s how the critic Vittorio di Ruocco comments on the first classified poetry in motivation. “Franco Fiorini while borrowing the figure of the war veteran Adrian Jacobus Zuyderland, as Vincent Van Gogh did on the other hand in the famous painting entitled ‘On the threshold of eternity’with the magic that is proper to the great poets, manages to grasp the most hidden shades, the most genuine feelings, those inner motions that live in every human being. Already from the first verse, dry, icastic and without the verbal form, which immediately places the subject out of time, the irrepressible suffering of the old (probably Van Gogh himself) and his alienated condition is understood. “The special prize of journalistic criticism, assigned to lyric On the sidelines of the war in Ukraine by Giuseppe Bova, he was decreed at the end of a selection of all 24 finalist poems, both published and unpublished. “It is a recognition of the great social and human meaning that a jury of professional journalists, in each edition, assigns to those compositions that have a particular impact with contemporary reality”, explain the jurors in the motivation, according to which “this year the press prize of the Mimesis fatally had to bring back the horror of the war that for over three years has been breaking down on the Ukrainian people due to the invasion of Russia, and at the same time. He wants to be a condemnation warning for all the about 400 conflicts in progress by Israel and Gaza and in any other part of the world.
“The prize since its inception – underlines the artistic director Patrizia Stefanelli – alongside the promotion of the art of poetry and the narration in verse, is always attentive to everything revolves around the man and women of the whole world, with particular reference to the evils and dramas that undermine the existence of entire populations victims of wars, hunger and aforementioned, but also of individuals, such as many, too many, too many. Together with the thousands of dead children killed by the bombs of Gaza and other areas of unforgivable crisis “. Other significant moments, the Province of Latina “Nicola Maggiarra” Prize, dedicated to lyrics related to the socio-cultural traditions of the Pontine area, assigned to the work Ruins by Irene Vallone. And the mention of merit, gone to Antidote by Lorenzo Piccirillo. The first ten poems classified for each category will be declaimed by the reciting voices of Giuseppe Lediani, Lucia Masi, the poet Adele Romanelli and the same artistic director Stefanelli, with the musical background of the Black in half.
