It was going to be an evening of communion and mutual gift.
We represented the love for that kind of vision, experiences, lines, words: the stage was filled with their voices, readings and songs. They were our “prophets”-sincerely bare before conventional social rules restricting individual freedom and ways of living.
They had been telling of another side of American society for decades, contrasting false morality and puritanism , claiming for a more balanced society not based on consumerism and the disrupted dream which destroyed the original idea of a land where there could be a possible alternative to discrimination, poverty, and disequality..
I ‘d like to mention Arthur Miller who would finally confirm the failure of the misunderstood American dream, as I can see in “Mr. Peter’s Connections”:“ a deep odd dialogue between the past and the present.” Miller faces the great question of the dream trying to give a sense to memories which may temperate an unsatisfactory present, opposing the false ideal of a hard run toward social likeability, wealth and perfect happiness-In this sense Miller affirms this dream is inside us, in our mind, actions, actually it should represent what we really are becoming a universal dream, a peaceful place where the dead and the living can meet, despite our past and and errors-
Allen Ginsberg was in the middle of the circle, we were sitting to grasp any mood in his voice while reading or singing a poem set to music “The Rune”, so misterious and remote to elicit people to look at the past through ancestral symbols and beliefs, so that to give another interpretation to the present . An ancient writing belonging to Man in the natural elements, sun, rainbow, moonbeam and above all Beauty, hoping “The worst” will become “the best”, a place where “all Beauties may rest”-
Excited, rather than crazy for their poetry we hoped to enter the same sensations and interact with their writings, much more..it would be something unforgettable, they wanted us ad friends hearing their reality expressed in a such a fluid and free way, through a great revolution in American language and life.
In poetry some of them used to write through a kind of street language not based on mere slang, on the contrary on the common way of speaking mingled with high quality of chosen words and line structure.
This new writing had been really new in the 50s, when through their spontaneous prose mirrroring the improvisional jazz music, a result of hard work -not simply externation -they “shouted” an alternative world where another society would be admitted-.
Jay Mcinerney, the” then” young writer of the the following generations stood among the great Beat musicians and poets, Ginsberg,our Italian Zanzotto , a dialect poet very close to the American tradition, F.Guccini , a musician who wrote songs in that way, musical poems spontaneus and yet rich in cultural references , describing another side of America in the Italian context, Fabrizio De Andre’whose interpretation of Spoon River has become memorable, C.Lolli, I.Fossati. Mcinerney represented the apparent anti -Beat Generation, in reality he always affirms “the bright lights of the Beat generation still are on”. Their influence will never end, they rebelled to America of the 50s, influenced youngpeople to write and to live their dreams and view society differently.
Fernanda Pivano had invited Mcinerney for that event and furtherly for the literary festival in Treviso. He was grateful to Nanda who was firm to introduce him into the world of famous writers. He was there, sheepish next to Ginsberg, a lyrical icon to him-together with Kerouac!
Through his new languageMacinerney marked the 80s, setting for the new young people who spoke a different language where cocaine was a means to resist hard work in order to achieve their ideal: money and perfect material life- and yet the language is the common spontaneous language of a new generation, slang mixed up with the run toward “Success”, again destroying the old American dream from another point of view, now brought into parties and pursuing social rise.
No more a lyrical jazz mood in the writings, but a urban language celebrating the new society, , the world of the yuppies where the ideal for individual freedom of expression was replaced by the myth of money at any rate and material satisfaction.
Nanda was there, she didn’t intervene all the evening, save for few minutes finally, when she started to speak to young people eliciting to be TRUE, to claim freedom and respect for any form of thought, without being scandalized in a conformist way. sHe pronounced a touching speech leading to “walk to the other side” with curiosity and respect for anybody, openly hoping that the ardor and mettle she felt to discover anticonformist writers and poets, emarginated for their language ,new visions and way of living- would live in any good soul and aim ..
Fernanda permitted to break a conservative way of thinking life and art, just making the frame of mind of the 50s know that Kerouac was on the road yet, Ginsberg had launched his desperate “Howl”of complaint and hope to shake narrow minded people, while
the world came to know that “all ,all are sleeping on the hill” telling their truth from the grave, trying to redeem and vindicate their past
That evening was dedicated to Fernanda, it was a tribute to her determination and wish to show another culture , also supported by Lawrence Ferlinghetti who had spread their words from his City Lights giving a chance to different visions of reality..
We were moved ,absorbed by our literary heroes who shook our minds and opened frontiers, breaking down walls in communication..Willy Loman is the example of the failed dream, later confirmed by Mcinerney novels , where the perfect world becomes that bridge and the Big Apple, a yuppie is the new hero, however behind this a hard criticism subtely is hidden, ..
Thanks to Fernanda, who encouraged unknown poets to keep on their own way, thanks to any artist who dares to go beyond the “obvious” showing new aspects of society and personal consciousness, thanks to Giorgio Checchin, a commom friend, a simple man -deep scholar of the Beat writers- who strongly wanted the tribute to Fernanda, a great humble woman who gave up her private life to follow the “real dream”, translating the works of writers living along the street metaphorically or not, invisible with their talented attitude but deserving to be read by everyone..
Thanks for our phone calls, Nanda, for helping me understand what we talked about..thanks..