An Interview with Danilo Dolci

Abstract

AN INTER VIEW WITH DANILO DOLCI TERESA LAZAZZERA Danilo Dolci, Italian poet and non-violent as a Visiting Professor at social activist, was present UCLA during the Winter Quarter of 1981 to take part in the teaching of a course on Italian politicai writers activists. In addition to introductory discussions community activism in and the climate of social violence, the seminar in- cluded a two week intensive reading of Dolci's poetry combined with his personal perspective on the creative process of poetry writing and the experiences which gave birth to his commitment to non-violent Dolci's and on the history of the context of contemporary Italian militant writers social reform. Dolci described this part of the seminar as a poetry laboratorio whose purpose was to place his works in their living context and to conduct research on the problems of our times. During the course of this seminar, participants learncd the particular ings mean- which Dolci's words bave acquired through the continuous re- fming process of social change and the new linguistic requirements which arose from it. Danilo Dolci is the author of many works, including Report from Palermo, The nico, Poverty in Sicily, Alone, Waste, The Outlaws ofParti- and Creature of Creature s. Despite his many achievemcnts, including a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, and the award of the Lenin Peace Prize (1957) and the Sonning Prize Man Who Walks