At the forefront of the technological innovations of the last century that gave birth to Futurism, the universe is artificially reconsidered (Manifesto of the Futurist Rebuilding of the Universe)¹ “The Conquest of the Stars” (La conquête des Étoiles)² finally happens thanks to monoplanes and the transatlantic flights. Time and Space, died yesterday (The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism)³, induce the destruction of the syntax (Technical Manifesto of Futurist Literature)⁴, and lead to the Words-in-Freedom (Parole in libertà). In this new world dominated by technique, it would seem that there was no space anymore for Nature or, to use a Jonathan Bate’s expression nobody could hear The Song of the Earth. Surprisingly into the whole futurist production of Marinetti we find, instead, a natural element inspiring the poet: the Volcano. Is Marinetti’s King Baldoria,⁵ a satirical tragedy, that introduces the new poetry to us: In fact we find The Idiot, a poet – alter ego of Marinetti – who defines his mouth as a ‘crevasse of a volcano’ whose ‘lips flood’ his enemies ‘with a resentful blood more ardent than the lava’. Since that moment the volcano will be protagonist of Marinetti’s masterpieces. From The Pope’s Airplane,⁶ the first lyrical free-verse exaltation of flight and the aerial prospects of our peninsula from Etna to Roma, Milan and Trieste to Zang Tumb Tuum; from the Untamables to the posthumous work, The Airpoem of Jesus. We should ask for which reason the volcano plays such an important role in Marinetti’s Opera. Basicly, the volcano – and the Etna in particular to which he dedicated a theatrical work titled Vulcani – is the symbol of the Heraclitus’ Polemos, ‘the war father of all things’; but also of both the technical invention and artistical creation; of all of portentous and ephemeral, becoming the symbol of futurist art-life, as well as of the precariousness of the terrestrial existence full of christian references. It says, in fact, the Volcano: ‘And woe to those who want to put roots […] Not to build, one should, but to camp. I have the form of a tent, have I not?’⁷

1 Giacomo Balla, Fortunato Depero, Ricostruzione Futurista dell’Universo, Milano 11 marzo 1915 http://www.arengario.it/opera/ricostruzione-futurista-delluniverso-4724/.

2 The first edition in French: Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, La Conquête des Étoile. Poème épique, Édizions de “La Plume”, Paris maggio 1902.

3 Id., Fondazione e Manifesto del Futurismo, pubblicato dal “Figaro” di Parigi il 20 febbraio 1909: «Il Tempo e lo Spazio morirono ieri. Noi viviamo già nell’assoluto, poiché abbiamo già creata l’eterna velocità onnipresente». See Manifesto del Futurismo, «Poesia» [But: Poligrafia Italiana S.A.], Milano, s.d. [gennaio 1909]. In 4°, pp. 4. Today in I Manifesti del Futurismo. Lanciati da Marinetti, Boccioni, Carrà, Russolo, Balla, Severini, Pratella, Mme De Saint Point, Apollinaire, Palazzeschi, Edizioni di Lacerba, Firenze 1914, p. 6. In English see: Marinetti, Selected Writings, edited and with an introduction by R. W. Flint, Translated by R. W. Flint and Arthur A. Coppotelli, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York 1972.

4 Marinetti, Manifesto tecnico della letteratura futurista, Direzione del Movimento Futurista, [But: Stabilimento Tipografico Angelo Taveggia], Milano, 11 maggio 1912. In 4°, pp. 4.

5 The First edition is in French: Marinetti, Le Roi Bombance. Tragedie satirique, Société du «Mercure de France” [but: Poitiers, Blais et Roy], 20 giugno 1905.

6 The first edition is in French, Le monoplan du Pape. Roman politique en vers libres, Bibliothèque Internationale d’Édition Edward Sansot & C.ie, 12 gennaio 1912. Today see also: Marinetti, Le monoplan du Pape. Roman politique en vers libres, texte présenté par Jean Demerliac, Illustré par Fredde Rotbart, Presses Universitaires de Paris Nanterre, Paris 2017.

7 Marinetti, Le monoplan du Pape. Roman politique en vers libres. This English translation is mine.