‘L’allargarsi della coscienza’, ovvero l’auto-traduzione da saggio a poesia in Malevič

The article analyzes the writings of Kazimir Malevich and the self-translation processes found between texts of a philosophical nature and his poetry. The analysis is based on three texts written between 1916 and 1918, the first being a note followed by two poems. All three texts deal with themes that are peculiar of Malevich’s philosophical reflection, such as the widening of consciousness and detachment from the earth. The significant analogies that emerge between the texts allow to observe mainly two phenomena: on the one hand, the content exposed in the note migrates into the poem reacting to its formal structure. Versification therefore generates a distribution of contents that has its own expressive power. Secondly, the transfer of reflection from essay to poem allows the content itself to undergo changes and to evolve. The analysis suggests that the poetic form may represent a fertile space for the development of Malevich’s philosophical thought.