Old Editorial for Transference. EU& Beyond

 

Transference.EU&Beyond

Poetry webzine also features photography and critical articles on the idea of "transference".

View Transference.EU&Beyond (collapsed plaform no longer active)

By Erminia Passannanti

I am editing a new online literary magazine called "Transference.EU & Beyond." The magazine aims to publish the work of authors—poetry, prose, and/or literary criticism—from Europe and beyond.

The idea is to create a cross-cultural space for online exchanges on the theme of dialogue. Accordingly, the magazine will explore the transference of ideas both in tangible, earthly terms and in transcendental dimensions.

Beyond the mere appreciation of others’ poetic achievements, the pleasure of literature increasingly lies in its "production." Far from being solely passive recipients, we strive to be producers of ideas and "art-crafts" that circulate within both established and non-established literary circles. In doing so, we communicate our feelings, perspectives, and discourses to a broader world—primarily as a way of countering the sense of exclusion imposed by our post-reality age. At the same time, this act activates a re-signification of poetry's role in contemporary society.

Machiavelli believed that political truth must be revealed both to the Prince and to those who are not Princes. This belief led him to transfer the ideas from his political treatise, The Prince, to the folk comedy La Mandragola. However, Machiavelli himself regarded the ideas conveyed in the latter as a vulgarization of those expressed in the former. His concern, of course, stemmed from the Renaissance-era belief that poetry and the arts were inferior to politics. As a typically politicized Italian, I share Machiavelli's concern, though I view Dante as a true exception to this rule.

Nevertheless, I feel we can finally discard Machiavelli's pessimism and reject the idea that expressing opinions in verse—or being a “poet”—necessitates limited power in the "real world" of action. For Machiavelli, the desire to be recognized as a poet alongside great Italian lyricists like Dante, Petrarca, and Ariosto was fraught with controversy. It carried the risk of compromising his reputation as a pure thinker and, perhaps more alarmingly for him, of being seen as less of a man or a vital force—essentially, as disempowered.

This concern was not without merit in the context of the Renaissance's strict humanistic framework. While we have not strayed far from Machiavelli's era in this regard, I believe that, despite the postmodern tendency to dissolve all fields of debate, our artistic endeavors can shoulder the burden of intellect while still expressing themselves freely. A poetical journey can indeed be an aesthetic and spiritual one while bearing the weight of our ideologies.

It is in this sense that Transference aligns with dialogue—what Vico envisioned as the ideal role of poetry in civic life. Transference, in this context, refers to moving forward toward something ahead of us, alongside us, and at times paradoxically invisible.

If you see yourself as an author capable of contributing to the transcending and transferring of cultures and civilizations, we invite you to submit your work to "Transference.EU & Beyond."

Please visit the site to read Michael Pickering’s recently published essay in Transference.EU & Beyond.

Note: The site is currently under construction.

Those interested in submitting their work can contact me at: erminia.passannanti@gmail.com.