When Pier Giorgio Di Cicco first appeared on the Canadian literary scene in the early 1980s, he was immediately recognized as one of the most compelling voices of his generation. The Last Effort of Dreams is the first critical collection on Pier Giorgio Di Cicco and traces the steps of his career from different perspectives. The contributors, fellow poets and academics alike, ponder Di Cicco’s poetry in diverse ways: through reminiscence, by taking stock, and by focusing on individual texts and specific themes. What emerges is an intriguing composite picture of Di Cicco’s complex and unique identikit. The volume includes both scholarly analysis and testimonials by individuals who lived the literary history of which Di Cicco is a part. The inclusion of a bibliography of Di Cicco’s publications and of those about him makes this book a valuable tool for anyone approaching his works for the first time and anyone interested in contemporary North American minority literatures or contemporary Canadian literature.

Pier Giorgio Di Cicco was born in Italy but moved with his family to Canada as a child. Author of many books of poetry and a founder of the Association of Italian-Canadian Writers, he is Toronto’s Poet Laureate for the years 2004—2007.

Francesco Loriggio is professor of Italian and Comparative Literature at Carleton University, Ottawa. He has published extensively on literary theory, modern Italian literature, and Italian-Canadian literature. He is a translator of some of the works of the Italian playwright Achille Campanile (The Inventor of the Horse and Other Short Plays), and the editor of Social Pluralism And Literary History.

Francesco Loriggio's profile page

''Readers of The Last Effort of Dreams are treated to sophisticated and insightful interpretations of some of the author's major collections...including We Are the Light Turning (1975), The Tough Romance (1979), Flying Deeper into the Century (1982), and Virgin Science: Hunting Holistic Paradigms (1986), as well as his more recent works, Living in Paradise (2001), The Honeymoon Wilderness (2002), and Dark Time of Angels (2003).... It is hoped that this fine publication will act as a catalyst for a broader scholarly interest in the work of an important voice in Canadian poetry.''

Recensioni, Fall 2008