Gian Pietro Lucini possessed a highly personal and original voice manifested in the development of Italian poetry at the onset of the twentieth century. Some aspects of his work were assimilated into scapigliatura (free-and-easy style) and symbolism, others, more conspicuously, into futurism. However, confronted by Lucini's strong personality and manifold interests, the reader soon realizes that the label, any label, is more a convenience than a reality. Recognizing his affinity to the symbolists, he went his own way, maintaining a good distance from the pack; Lucini jealously guarded his independence and freedom. The repeated attempts on the part of futurists to co-opt him into the movement were met with misgivings at first and, after the publication of the Manifesto Futurista (1909), with fierce hostility, as seen in his Marinetti, Futurismo, Futuristi (1975).

On the other hand, the physical infirmities that plagued him from the age of nine allowed Lucini no...