"Even a polemic has some justification if one considers that my own first poetic experiments began during a dictatorship and mark the origin of the Hermetic movement"
- Salvatore Quasimodo
About this Quote
This quote by Salvatore Quasimodo speaks with the power of art and poetry to reveal and challenge oppressive programs. Quasimodo is suggesting that his own poetic experiments, which began during a dictatorship, were a kind of polemic, or a strong spoken or written attack against a viewpoint or teaching. This polemic was warranted, as it was a way to express his discontent with the oppressive routine and to mark the origin of the Hermetic motion.
The Hermetic motion was a philosophical and spiritual motion that started in the late 19th century and was based on the mentors of the ancient Greek thinker Hermes Trismegistus. This movement was concentrated on the concept of spiritual improvement and the achievement of knowledge through direct experience. Quasimodo's poetic experiments were a way to express his discontent with the oppressive regime and to mark the origin of the Hermetic movement.
Quasimodo's quote speaks with the power of art and poetry to challenge oppressive routines and to create a motion of spiritual change. His poetic experiments were a type of polemic, a strong verbal or written attack against an opinion or doctrine, and were warranted as they marked the origin of the Hermetic movement. Quasimodo's quote is a pointer of the power of art and poetry to challenge overbearing routines and to create a motion of spiritual transformation.
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