Lyric Weapons: Italian Poetry in the Age of Nuclear Anxiety

forthcoming

IPNA explores the emergence and evolution of nuclear anxieties in Italian poetry from the Cold War to today (1945–2024), using the lens of environmental humanities. It uniquely positions modern Italian lyric poetry within a transnational study of nuclear anxiety, revealing how poetry reflects and influences environmental concerns globally. By examining the trans-generational expression of nuclear anxiety through poetry, the project aims to uncover new insights into lyric poetry and the relationship between literature and anxiety. Italy's history as a host of American nuclear weapons and home to a prominent Communist Party (1950S-1980S) makes it a key site for the cultural elaboration of 'nuclear anxiety.' This project examines how more than twenty Italian poets articulate responses to existential threats, viewing poetry as a medium to explore the complex interplay between environmental and human precarity. Key poets, including Eugenio Montale, Amelia Rosselli, Andrea Zanzotto, and Antonella Anedda, reflect on nuclear anxieties through their works, highlighting how lyric poetry captures the subtle tensions of this era. This project addresses gaps in the existing literature by focusing on lyric poetry rather than prose or cinema, which have been the primary focus of previous studies. It employs an interdisciplinary approach, combining lyric theory, environmental humanities, world literature, and affective stylistics to explore how poetry serves as a space for grappling with existential threats. The project's transnational perspective contextualizes Italian poetry within broader glocal traditions, offering new insights into the interconnected dimensions of nuclear anxiety and its cultural impacts.