L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015 www.italoamericano.org 6 Gabriele Tinti on Poetry and Boxing Gabriele Tinti is an Italian poet and writer, whose poetry has been extensively inspired by the ancient-art form of boxing. He is moved by solitude and tragedy, which inspires him to write rhymes that have been p r e s e n t e d a t t h e Q u e e n s Museum of Art, the New York P oetry F es tival, S outh Bank C e n t r e a n d t h e M u s e o Nazionale di Roma. He will be coming to Los Angeles, to the Getty on August 3 with Italian-American actor Robert Davi for The boxer, a reading tribute to the famous Greek sculpture, The Boxer at Rest (Il pugilatore a riposo) that is currently on loan from Rome for the 'Power and Pathos exhi- b i t i o n ' . T h i s c a p o l a v o r o i s dated back to 4 A.D. but it was intentionally buried to preserve it against invasion, therefore was not discovered until 1885. It first came to American shores via the east coast in 2013, and shall be making its Pacific coast d é b u t f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e n e x t month. T h e B o x e r a t R e s t h a s inspired two of Tinti's poems, and the afternoon will be fol- lowed by Tinti reading more of h i s p o e m s o n b o x i n g a t t h e I t a l i a n C u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e i n W e s t w o o d . T i n t i a n d D a v i became acquaintances through their mutual friend, actor Franco Nero, and are united by their passion for boxing. T e l l m e a b o u t y o u r s e l f . Where did you grow up and where are you based now? I l i v e i n t h e s a m e p l a c e I grew up, in a small seaside town (Senigallia) in central Italy. I have always felt an immense solitude here. If I had been born elsewhere, I probably wouldn't have written a single line. There i s s o m e t h i n g i n t h e M a r c h e region - in its sky, its humor. It has the capacity to put you in contact with the tragedy of our existence. It's no coincidence that this is where Leopardi used to live. S o m e m a y s e e i t a s a n ELISABETTA SANTI unlikely marriage – the com- bination of poetry and boxing, what prompted you to com- bine these art forms? Boxing is poetry; it's art. It's a dramatic arena of solitude and the boxers are more than just "athletes." Their lives are lived to the limit, founded on risk. They represent one of the most authentic spectacles of suffering a human can participate in. What is your relationship with The Boxer? What emo- t i o n s d o e s i t e v o k e w i t h i n you? The unearthing of The Boxer in 1885 on the slopes of the Quirinal Hill in Rome sparked great debate. The statue was d i s c o v e r e d n e a r t h e a n c i e n t baths of Emperor Constantine, and more than a century later the debate still continues. No one knows exactly who created h i m , o r w h a t h e r e p r e s e n t s . Nonetheless, the thing that mat- ters to us, the thing that has always drawn us, is the "tran- scendent fatigue" which seeps o u t o f t h e s t a t u e . T h e a r t i s t shows the boxer in the act of turning his head whilst some- thing significant is happening, this is what the ancient Greeks would refer to as the Kairós moment – the right, opportune, supreme moment to act. The boxer is sitting, marked with d e e p w o u n d s a n d c o p i o u s amounts of blood that cover the whole right side of his body. We do not know why he is turn- ing his head: perhaps he is lis- tening to the decision of the judge? Or is he hearing a new call to combat? Is he looking at the agitated crowd? Perhaps he is uttering a silent prayer to Zeus, waiting for the answer? Standing in front of The Boxer, I couldn't do anything besides summon the fragility, the soli- t u d e , a n d t h e w e i g h t o f t h e boxer's dramatic life. After all, each time one seeks to analyse a p r o f o u n d w o r k o f a r t , o n e comes face to face with its irre- ducibility. Poetry should never h a v e t o r e d u c e i t s e l f t o a n explanation. True poetry always travels beyond every calcula- tion, every system, every geom- etry: it's incomplete, evocative, and lamenting. At the turn of the 20 th cen- tury, boxing was revered all around the world. The title of the emperor of masculinity was coveted more than anything else. Does modern boxing hold t h e s a m e a l l u r e f o r y o u a s boxers of the past? Boxing has certainly become less "popular" than it was, with the exclusivity of its broadcast- ing with pay-per-view (HBO and Showtime). However, since P r e m i e r B o x i n g C h a m p i o n s (CBS) has begun to broadcast boxing for prime time televi- sion, things are clearly chang- ing. More than anything though, i t ' s t h e b o x e r s t h a t c o u n t . Boxers - with their courage and fragility, their will for tragedy. They are the same today as they were one hundred years ago. You don't need to go far back to find the drama or the poetry that boxers so easily inspire. I think immediately of Arturo Gatti's story or more recently, of Paul Williams. What are your thoughts on Jack Johnson, and why did you choose him as a subject for the webcast you did on Rai3? J a c k J o h n s o n ' s s t o r y i s a story full of exertion, desire, downfalls and glory. His story was fundamental for the awak- ening of black conscience and pride at a time when the cham- pion of the world was reserved f o r t h e s t r o n g e s t m a n i n t h e world. In America, the champi- on boxer used to be the most important person, more highly esteemed than any president. His story is important, because it speaks freedom and courage. J a c k J o h n s o n r e f e r r e d often to the 'science' of box- ing, and you intern talk of its mysticism. What do you think makes boxing more than just a sport? Boxing has the same creativi- ty and symbolism as dance, but with the emotion, passion and reality of conflict. This intensi- ty of meaning makes it some- t h i n g e x t r e m e l y s p e c i a l a n d a b s o l u t e , h e n c e w h y W a l t e r Pater called it "one of the fine arts". However, I think that it's even more profound and capti- v a t i n g t h a n t h e f i n e a r t s , because it is not determined by words. The disciplines of fine arts (theatre, music, literature, performance) are fictional, rep- resentative and evocative in the best of cases. Boxing embodies all these things, but it has some- thing else, which is fundamental - reality – with its spasms, pain, bloodshed, unpredictability, and its escape into a predestined plan. Gabriele Tinti. Photo credits: Howard Schatz The bronze Boxer at Rest Gabriele Tinti. Photo credits: Howard Schatz

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