L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 2023 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano R ome, the Eter- n a l C i t y : i t ' s h e r e , a m i d s t t h e e b b a n d flow of history, that we can meet a silent yet eloquent critic of time and events: Pasquino, the talk- ing statue. For our seasoned readers, this name is famil- iar, because associated with t h e i n s i g h t f u l c o l u m n s o f Anthony Di Renzo, a cher- i s h e d c o n t r i b u t o r t o o u r pages over the past decade: w i t h h i m a s o u r e l o q u e n t g u i d e , w e ' v e j o u r n e y e d t h r o u g h R o m e ' s p a s t a n d present, and discovered pre- cious nuggets of Roman cul- ture and satire. Today, it's with a sense of pride and camaraderie we i n t r o d u c e h i s b o o k , Pasquinades, published by Cayuga Lake Books, a joyous blend of Roman life, humor, a n d h i s t o r y n a r r a t e d , o f course, by the timeless voice of Pasquino. Anthony's connection with Pasquino goes beyond schol- arly interest: it is, in fact, a rich dialogue spanning years, tracing back to a serendipi- tous encounter during his first stay in Rome. Indeed Pasquino, with its legacy of v o i c i n g p u b l i c e m o t i o n s t h r o u g h s a t i r i c a l v e r s e s , found a modern-day coun- terpart in Di Renzo who, in his monthly column, stepped into the role of Rome's talk- ing statue, shedding light on Roman culture while playful- ly reflecting on contempo- rary events through satire. In Pasquinades, Pasquino engages in a lively banter with past and present and magically comes to life, page after page. With his elegant yet light-hearted storytelling Di Renzo invites us into a Rome where history chats with the present-day, and satire turns into a lens to view the world, in a modern example of one of the most ancient and honored literary traditions. Recently, I had the plea- sure of engaging in a virtual dialogue with Anthony, to discuss his latest effort: the exchange was as enlighten- ing as it was delightful, as you are about to read your- self. On a personal note: as an English major who later got her Ph.D. in Late Antique literature, I can't help but think I would have loved to be a student in his class - room, at Ithaca College, and delve deeper into the worlds o f c l a s s i c a l r h e t o r i c a n d composition theory under his guidance. In the inter- view that follows, Anthony talks about satire, Rome, and the journey of Pasquinades from a column to a book: I hope you find our dialogue as enjoyable and delightful as I did. W h e n d i d y o u f i r s t " m e e t " P a s q u i n o a n d w h a t i n s p i r e d y o u t o write Pasquinades? My Uncle Tonino intro- duced me to Pasquino dur- ing my first stay in Rome. After spending an afternoon in Piazza Navona, we went d o w n a s i d e s t r e e t a n d s t o p p e d a t t h e s t a t u e o f Pasquino. "Meet the only person in Rome who always tells the truth," Tonino said. But I wasn't inspired to write P a s q u i n a d e s u n t i l y e a r s later, when I came across a painting by the Roman artist Achille Pinelli. It showed a family of sightseers admiring Pasquino as a church proces- sion for an execution slowly forms behind them. Y o u p u b l i s h e d t h e original Pasquinades in o u r n e w s p a p e r : w e r e they created ad hoc for it? How did the connec- tion between Pasquino and L'Italo-Americano come about? Back in May 2013, editor- in-chief Simone Schiavinato invited me to write a month- ly column for your paper. He had read my essays on Ital- ian-American culture and thought I deserved a wider audience. I suggested com- menting on Rome, past and present, as the city's talking statue: Simone thought this idea was splendid and creat- ed the title and layout for the column. Ever since, he has been Pasquino's godfather, so it's only fitting to dedicate my book to him. How did you get the idea of turning your col- u m n i n t o a b o o k , a n d what can we expect from it: is Pasquino always t h e s a m e , o r i s h e p u t t i n g o n a d i f f e r e n t face for his new audi- ence? In my columns, Pasquino rarely addressed his readers or participated in the action. H e r e m a i n e d a d e t a c h e d observer, reporting on con- temporary news or chroni- cling past events—a fitting approach for a newspaper but not for a book. If I want- ed to engage readers for 250 pages, Pasquino had to be more than a clever commen- t a t o r . H e w o u l d n e e d t o become a complex narrator w i t h a p e r s o n a l s t a k e i n every tale. So I gave my talk- ing statue a back story and a l l o w e d h i m t o e x p r e s s a wide range of feelings. I f w e t a l k a b o u t Pasquino, we must talk about his home, Rome: what's your relationship with La Città Eterna? R o m e i s t h e c i t y o f m y soul for two reasons. First, the city is timeless. Italy may h a v e c h a n g e d b u t R o m e essentially has not. Second, and this captivates me even m o r e , R o m e i s m y t h i c : a marvelous dream in which life cavorts around us like a m a s q u e r a d e o f t h e g o d s . T h e y e n j o y d e c e i v i n g u s mortals in every shape and form, but we still forgive them. Sometimes they trick us into appreciating beauty. You teach writing at I t h a c a C o l l e g e : h o w e s s e n t i a l i s t h e a r t o f writing, still today, in your opinion? Writing captures the pre- sent and preserves the past, even in our digital age. This is obvious in Rome, which is practically constructed out of words. Ancient inscriptions and modern graffiti adorn the same buildings. The city is a palimpsest, a manuscript on which the original writing h a s b e e n e r a s e d t o m a k e room for later writing but of w h i c h f a i n t t r a c e s s t i l l remain. No wonder it stimu- lates our imagination. One last question: any thoughts about having Pasquinades translated into Italian? I ' d l o v e t o s e e Pasquinades translated into Italian! I think Italian read- e r s w o u l d l o v e t h i s b o o k even more than American readers—especially the jokes. P a s q u i n a d e s b y Anthony Di Renzo, pub- lished by Cayuga Lake B o o k s i s o u t n o w a n d a v a i l a b l e i n a l l b o o k - stores and on Amazon. "Our" Pasquinades become a book: a chat with author Anthony Di Renzo FRANCESCA BEZZONE LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS Achille Pinelli's watercolor of the Piazza di Pasquino (Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Agreement. Info Roma. Public Domain) and, bottom right, Anthony Di Renzo (Photo: Russ Baker)

• Cover