On Wed, 4 Apr 2001 11:29:06 -0000, Hugh Tolhurst <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>Dearest Erminia
>
>Glad to hear Oxford was a success, and also
>from Jill that Sydney was a hoot, and from
>the various New Zealand and Canadian readings.
>Maria Louisa Straziani also told a lovely story
>about a Mediterranean poetry Festival some years
>back in Morocco. All 38 poets were to file past
>the King of Morocco and recite a short poem or fragment
>to his highness at the outset. She was 17th and a close
>friend 19th, the 18th poet was an Arab poet, so pleased
>to have a captive royal audience that he read for an hour
>and a half, non-stop, in a monotonous Tum Tum Ta Tum Tum
>rhythm that haunter her dreams for days...
>
>As for my returning to OZ, no I'm Italy based until
>the end of June (just back from readings in Puglia
>at the University of Lecce and soon to read at
>Poesia Napoli). I'll spend a little time in France
>and Belgium in July, then visit West Ireland before
>reading for the Australian Festival in Dublin from
>3rd to 6th of August. I'll be in London August 7th to
>15th, so maybe we can meet up, perhaps a day-trip to
>Oxford?
>
>By the way, I'm told the Penguin Catullus in English
>is just out in the UK, and Antipodean representation
>among the translators comprises James K. Baxter, the
>excellent New Zealand poet, and myself. My contributor's
>copy was sent from Germany to Melbourne and is now flying
>slowly north to Rome.
>
>I've been reading the new Feb/March Australian Book
>Review, and under new editor Peter Rose it seems more
>interesting (with poems included for the first time by
>Gig Ryan and Rosemary Dobson). What do others who've
>seen it think?
>
>ciao, regards
>
>Hugh Tolhurst
>_________________________________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

Caro Hugh,

I hope you met nice people in Lecce - did you meet the Manni? They have a
publishing house in Lecce, a famous literary magazine (of which I am a
contributor)L'Immaginazione and are always deeply involevd in poetry and
literary criticism(i am one of
their editors for the "Letterature straniere").

Now, are you travelling to Naples, next?
So, in that case, as St Thomas Aquinas reminds us, in his Summa theologiae,
among all the goals of human
actions one is ultimate: to try to eat the Neapolitan "sfogliatella riccia"
at the
Pasticceria Cafrish, in Via Toledo.(City Center). Ask anybody and they will
show you where it is.

Napoli poesia is a great opportunity to get to know people. You could get
in touch with some poets who edit the on-line literary magazine, Vico
Acitillo 124 Poetry Wave who I contacted for Dialogue and who have
organized a splendid poetry reading in Naples for this occasion. One of
them is called Emilio Piccolo and this is his e-mail:[log in to unmask] if
you want to elt him now about your reading in Naples.

(I myself am from Salerno, a smaller town - but very beautiful and
ancient, Norman and Saracen in style , to be precise - situated 44
kilometers away from Naples, on the big Gulf at the entrance of the Amalfi
Coast).

Now, another important issue in visiting Naples is to see the city guided
by a local person since the place has majectic historical and natural
beauties. Try to visit Pompei or Ercolano, and at least one island (Capri,
if you can).
Also careful, in Naples there are lots of Sophia Loren(s) walking around.
(She is from Naples and is very typical).

(Anyhow, apart from eating "sfogliatelle riccie "(take paper and pen to
write down the name of this cake so once at Cafrish Pasticceria, you will
know what to order), we have another ultimate goal, we are being said...)

ciao, per adesso, erminia



































ciao , per adesso, erminia