Gian Maria Annovi on Poetry, Colonialism, and the Strega Prize

Gian Maria Annovi (Reggio Emilia, 1978), associate professor of Italian and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles), is a finalist for the 2024 Strega Poetry Prize with his collection "Discomparse" (2023). In an interview, he discusses his focus on marginalized figures—migrant workers, caregivers, kamikazes—whom he renders visible through poetry. He argues that poetry emerges from vulnerability, not from the safety of the majority. Annovi critiques Italian poetry's historical complicity with colonialism, citing Pascoli, d'Annunzio, and Carducci, and notes that Italy administered Somalia until 1956. His poem "Antiscoperta dei monti" references the fictional Kong Mountains on 18th-century maps of Africa as a metaphor for Western linguistic power. The visual elements in "Discomparse" include digitally erased Renaissance paintings to highlight Black figures, paired with poems about contemporary migrants. Annovi considers his Strega nomination a victory for connecting with readers and poets. The award ceremony is on October 9, 2024.