Mario Luzi e il dramma della modernità

Luzi accompanied his poetical vein with a persevering historical-theoretical reflection, entrusted to essays, articles, conferences, prefaces and anthologies, where he carved out the role of critical conscience of literary modernity. He intervened many times on the specific theme, interpreting modernity in a dramatic key, as a head on collision between what Snow called "Le due culture", that are "science and technology" from one side, "le beniamine dell'era moderna", and "poetry" on the other side, "come voce più alta dell'umanesimo". Luzi reads the way of modern poetry as characterized by orphanhood and disorientation, but also indicates a possible way out in the intimately Christian direction of the creatural humbleness and of the mystery of incarnation.