Betocchi, de Libero e la Ciociaria (con un’appendice di lettere inedite degli anni Sessanta)

Abstract

Through a review of previously undisclosed documents, the essay reconstructs the relationship between Carlo Betocchi and Libero de Libero and examines their literary works throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It notably highlights Betocchi’s ties with Salento intellectuals, which culminated in the publication of Vetturale di Cosenza ovvero Viaggio meridionale («I quaderni del Critone» 1959). This concise collection includes poems crafted during a journey from Florence to Cosenza in November 1957, encompassing Ciociaria, de Libero’s native region. Additionally, the essay presents unpublished correspondence between Betocchi and de Libero, featuring five letters from Betocchi and eight from de Libero, shedding light on the genesis and composition of Betocchi’s Vino di Ciociaria. Initially drafted during the 1957 journey, this poem was subsequently included in a chapbook edited by de Libero under the same title in 1965.