Music, Hermetic Poetry, and Oriental Philosophies
Interview with Claudio Spinosa
by Maria Teresa De Donato
Dear friends, hello
and welcome back!
Here I am to resume the series of interviews through which I have presented – and will continue to do so – friends and colleagues, authors and artists of various kinds, as well as characters who work in different fields and whom I think you may find interesting.
Today Claudio Spinosa, class 74, from Sulmona, is here with us, also a rather eclectic character, very active in the cultural sector.
Claudio engages in many activities, but, as usual, I let him tell us about himself.
MTDD: Hi Claudio, and welcome to my Blog and Virtual Cultural Salon.
It is a pleasure to
have you as my guest.
CS: My pleasure, thanks for the invitation.
MTDD: Claudio, why don't you start by
introducing yourself to our readers, telling us a little about yourself, your
studies, your work, and anything else you wish to share with us all?
CS: My working life and studying can be considered entirely ordinary: I graduated from High School, dropped out of the university, and have been employed ever since.
MTDD: From your biography, it emerges that you practiced music for many years and abandoned it to start your poetic adventure in 2005.
What was the reason
behind this choice?
CS: It was not a reasoned choice but rather a casual one. I had a music band that dissolved for personal and work reasons, and our paths diverged.
MTDD: Your first publication has a rather intriguing title: "My duty to be"...
How and why did you come up with this title?
CS: The title is a clear allusion to the Armenian mystic George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, which I read a lot at that time.
My duty could be
translated as the duty of every conscious human being to take responsibility
for his existence upon himself.
MTDD: I know that you are very fond of Japanese haiku and oriental philosophies and that you practiced yoga as well for several years.
Where did these passions of yours originate from?
CS: I have always felt an attraction towards the East, which has led me to become interested in and read many books about it. Above all, Zen has always represented a fixed point in my non-research research. The encounter with haiku was almost a spontaneous one. The short poem brought to life by master M. Basho in which immediacy and simplicity of the composition are fundamental. The reference to nature, the so-called Kigo, is a characteristic element of the piece expressed in only three lines for a total of 17 syllables (in Japanese sounds on).
MTDD: One of your publications is titled "Quore", a collection that has been called "hermetic" and that prompts the reader to take a careful introspective, an "alchemical" examination – to use your words.
Why did you want to write this type of poem, and what purpose did you set yourself to achieve with it?
CS: As you rightly said, introspection is precisely the critical element to push the reader to reflection, analysis, and self-investigation.
MTDD: Between secular work and literary productions, you find time to do many other things. For example, you have your own YouTube channel to interview emerging authors, and you also define yourself as a 'poet and performer'. Among other things, I read that you also worked on theater in L'Aquila.
Do you want to tell us a little about these activities of yours?
CS: I'm running a small cultural space called 'Il Settimo Tramonto' (the seventh sunset) where I interview authors who want to present a book, an activity, or talk about themselves. I am also part of the Compagnia dei poeti dell'Aquila (Society of Poets of L’Aquila), made up of many poets whose activities range from public reading to book presentations.
MTDD: Do you have any plans for the future that you wish to anticipate?
CS: Yes, I do. I would love to publish other poetry books.
MTDD: Is there any other information you would like to share with our audience?
CS: Read but above all enter the world of poetry. Doing so allows us to feel our most hidden part.
MTDD: Should our readers wish to contact you, how can they do so?
CS: My YouTube channel is
https://youtube.com/channel/UCWKJKnnx_R6mDCcCR9Zf9UQ
My Facebook page is
https://www.facebook.com/paginautore/
MTDD: Thanks, Claudio, for participating in this interview. I hope to have you again as my guest in the future.
CS: With great pleasure. Thank you.
