Charles Tomlinson: Converging borders

This paper discusses the work of Charles Tomlinson, the British poet described by Andrea Sirotti as an author whose work has received a fair amount of attention in the past twenty years in Italy, but not as much as it deserves, considering his stature and overall output. Professor Emeritus at Bristol University, critic, translator, world-wide traveler and painter, with a refined mind and a boundless culture, Tomlinson was the recipient of major poetry awards and published more than twenty books of poetry. In the words of Judith P. Saunders, «[u]nsurprisingly, Tomlinson’s life and career reflect the same energetic interest in cross-cultural convergence that infuses his poetry. Travel and residence abroad have played a major role in his development as a poet». Considering his significance as a contemporary poet whose work encompasses a range of cultures, languages and aesthetic currents, Tomlinson certainly deserves critical attention, but for Italian scholars and translators there is an additional reason: his close ties to the Italian landscape and his deep and detailed knowledge, knowledged gained quite literally «in the field». This paper aims to revisit some of the poet’s main motifs that were inspired by his Italian journeys and extended stays in the country, with a threefold objective: firstly, to draw critical attention to Charles Tomlinson’s poetry within the Italian academic world five years after his death; secondly, to stress the cogency of Judith P. Saunders’ critical approach, which postulates the interpretive key of «border»; thirdly, to suggest a reading of Tomlinson’s poem Piazza inspired by the notion of liminality and aporia while investigating his postmodern deconstructive procedures.