"Lento notturno, Melissa Melpignano's debut collection of poems, consists of apparently unconnected texts, as the origin of the musical term notturno suggests. There is no lyrical subject at the centre; rather, there are bodies whom the subject informally addresses. It is a play of reflections, of shadows, of projections that shape the nocturnal space. The gaze is inverted. Night appears as a vague reflection of life and, at the same time, as the moment of sharpest perception of the weight of the body. The book is divided in two sections. In the first one, entitled “Sull’implosione” (On implosion), there is an occlusion that causes an abrupt entry of air. A held breath that can suffocate. Then the body gets used to the night, tries to sew the shadows together with needle and thread. Once the imprint of the (implosed) body has been left on the mattress, in the second section, entitled “Sull’esplorazione”, a possible exploration slowly begins. The subject lucidly observes, through insomnia, the possibilities of movement: the apparent ease of an athlete's leap, the light energy of a dancer (the ballon) at the apex of a grand jeté, which leaves the spectators breathless, giving them a new breath."

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Sara Sermini, poet and literary scholar

Université Paris Nanterre