Aldo Palazzeschi (nom de plume of Aldo Giurlani) began his literary career in search of a new mode of literary expression. Two literary/art movements,crepuscolarismo (twilight poetry) and futurismo, provided the tolerant atmosphere necessary for experimentation and innovation. Crepuscolarismo served chiefly as a springboard from which Palazzeschi could desacralize contemporary, social, and literary canons through irony. Futurismo, in turn, allowed him to continue his battle against literary conventions and eventually develop his own mode of poetic and prose expression.

Born on 2 February 1885 in Florence into a well-respected, middle-class family, Palazzeschi was the son of Alberto and Amalia Martinelli Guirlani, who owned and operated a clothing store together. Palazzeschi earned a diploma in accounting in 1902. He divided part of his youth between Florence and Paris, where he first came into contact with the European avant-garde. Never intending to follow in his father's footsteps as a businessman, Palazzeschi dedicated...