La raccolta di poesie di Corrado Paina, Tempo Rubato, edito da Atellè 14, contiene incisioni di Sandro Martini.

Garbage for all seasons

I always felt like a citizen of the world until
I walked the streets of Toronto
the global village spreads the hundred odors of a thousand
foods cooked and not, according to custom
and the urban waste of a thousand races
each with its own little
green bag to forget
pluriracial factories
of rheum sweats shit
multiculturalism for a thousand multidisposals
italojamaican indochinese
blackwhites yellowreds
canada all-inclusive+separatism and a trip to cuba
warm warmth violent cyclothymic
dio! come sa di sale lo pane altrui

tratto da Corrado Paina, Hoarse Legend, The Mansfield Press, Toronto, 2000

  Tratto da Scream In High Park © 2000

He's a poet and short-story writer from
Toronto's Little Italy who's just recently
broken into English-language
publishing. With his partner, Deborah
Verginella, Corrado will read from,
Hoarse Legend, a work that plunges
into the maelstrom of language and race.
This work engages with contemporary
multicultural city life and themes of
personal and social identity from a
refreshing, unsentimental perspective.
In fact, Michael Redhill says, "Paina's
collection is a paean to city life as well
as its sensual privacies, and a
celebration of homelands, old and new."
Its publisher, The Mansfield Press, is
one of Canada's newest, and the book
includes a CD recording of its final
section Open City. Corrado Paina was
born in Milan, Italy in 1954 and moved
to Toronto in 1987. His collection of
short stories was published in Italy in
1995 by Mapograph and was used as a
text in Italian courses at Queen's
University. He received the Borgo degli
Artisti Prize in Milan for a collection
titled "Honest Ed ed i Templi del
Sudore" ("Honest Ed's & The Temples
of Sweat"). His poetry has been
published in Italy, Canada and the
United States. A new book of poetry,
Stolen Time - Tempo Rubato, featuring
paintings by Sandro Martini, was
launched at the Italian Cultural Institute
in New York in April. Corrado traveled
extensively in South America, Africa,
Europe and the U. S.

Deborah Verginella has acted in film,
television and theatre. She edits
Corrado's poetry and will be reading
with him at the Scream.

Author photo by Gary Fiegehen

English version

Intervista a Corrado Paina rilasciata al Corriere Canadese

9- Esiste la cultura italocanadese?
Un museo per ripagarci di Petawawa
Intervista a Corrado Paina, poeta e scrittore, che propone un risarcimento collettivo per la storia degli internati

Corrado Paina
Con Corrado Paina, che da anni cerca di individuare i segni della cultura italocanadese anche in ambiti diversi dalla letteratura, cerchiamo di fare una mappa (è nel riquadro in questa stessa pagina). Ma l’obiettivo è anche di capire se e in quale misura la presenza italiana può determinare le scelte culturali di questo Paese. «Bisogna premettere che non è un lavoro semplice rintracciare quei segni», dice Paina, «anche perché alla folta schiera di medici, avvocati, insegnanti, imprenditori, politici non corrisponde un numero altrettanto significativo di coloro che si muovono nel campo artistico. E poi c’è da dire che molti di questi ultimi non cercano un collegamento con l’Italia in maniera appariscente, ma più intimo sul piano culturale. Voglio dire che essi saltano la classificazione di italocanadesi: preferiscono essere considerati italiani che lavorano in Canada. Altri vanno oltre, e si considerano canadesi, o nordamericani, di origini italiane. Insomma, non basta il cognome italiano dell’autore per dire cosa c’è dietro un quadro o una esecuzione musicale».
E in questi casi quale metodo bisogna usare per individuare i segni di una presenza culturale italocanadese al di là della letteratura? «Quello dei valori di riferimento. Si può parlare di presenza culturale italocanadese quando a un cognome italiano corrispondono valori culturali italiani. In letteratura è tutto molto più semplice. Ma immagini le difficoltà che comporta questo lavoro di scavo nel design, per esempio, o nella musica moderna che sono espressioni artistiche ormai transnazionali». Corrado Paina è arrivato in Canada nel 1987 «attiratovi dalla gelida bellezza delle città». Le sue poesie e i suoi racconti sono stati pubblicati in molte riviste letterarie italiane, canadesi e statunitensi. Recentemente ha pubblicato due raccolte di liriche, Tempo rubato, con incisioni di Sandro Martini, e Hoarse Legend, e un libro di racconti, Di corsa. E’ in uscita un cd rom con sue poesie e opere di Sandro Martini che verrà distribuito nelle scuole italiane. Proprio in questi giorni le sue poesie sono state incluse in un’antologia di Spoken Word edita da Tupperware Sandpiper, sempre su cd, in cui sono ospitati diversi autori canadesi che affiancano la poesia alla musica.
La mappa che abbiamo abbozzato, sia pure nella inevitabile incompletezza, ci consente di affermare che la presenza culturale italiana in Canada non è limitata alla letteratura. Possiamo concludere che l’identità culturale italocanadese è in grado di produrre spinte innovative in questo Paese? «Ho difficoltà a rispondere in maniera schematica, sì o no, alla sua domanda. Mi chiedo: possiamo parlare di una cultura italocanadese innovativa e autonoma quando buona parte di quella ufficiale, e mi riferisco in particolar modo alla letteratura, ha convissuto e a volte convive ancora con ideali superati e con l’immaginario di una Italia inesistente, o comunque non più attuale?».
Lei non è l’unico a denunciare che il ricorso a un immaginario superato dell'Italia, e di conseguenza alla consueta tematica dell’emigrazione, impedisce il battito d’ala in buona parte della produzione letteraria italocanadese. Come mai questi autori non trovano altri motivi di ispirazione? «Probabilmente perché in un contesto di confusione culturale, mai proclamato come non sono mai proclamate le tensioni sociali in Canada, la loro ispirazione va inevitabilmente al “momento forte” della loro vicenda umana o di quella dei genitori. E così, parlano e riparlano della valigia di cartone di papà e dell’epica dell’emigrazione come in una perversa matrioska delle radici. Non le nascondo che quando si parla di cultura italocanadese non posso fare a meno di pensare al quesito posto da Greenaway in un suo film sulla zebra: cosa esisteva prima, un animale sulla cui pelle bianca si sono sovrapposte le strisce nere, o viceversa?».
Cosa vuol dire? «Ho l’impressione che l’aggettivo italocanadese sia stato inflazionato. Cosa significa? Che il soggetto è più italiano che canadese, o che le due identità sono pari al cinquanta per cento? Per quanto ci riguarda, il canadese di origine italiana di seconda o terza generazione è prima canadese o prima italiano? E ancora: chi sono gli italocanadesi? Coloro che hanno un cognome italiano o quelli che hanno tutti e due i genitori italiani? E nel caso di coppie miste, quale retaggio culturale esercita più influenza sul figlio canadese: quello del padre italiano o quello della madre marocchina, oppure quello della madre italiana piuttosto che quello del padre albanese? E poi, gli italiani di origine sono da definirsi italocanadesi o italiani all’estero, canadesi tout-court o più semplicemente orfani di valenze culturali parentali? E infine, non sarebbe più giusto definire italocanadesi gli immigrati e canadoitaliani i loro figli?».
E questa situazione quali riflessi ha sulla cultura italocanadese? «Riflessi strani. Da una parte il welfare e le occasioni di progresso offerte da questo Paese hanno soddisfatto gli emigrati giunti negli anni Cinquanta, dall’altra le condizioni spesso dure e la sfida linguistica hanno dato vita a una nostalgia sottile dell’Italia e a un latente rifiuto del Canada, atteggiamenti molto bene enunciati dallo storico Robert Harney. Risultato, una sorta di isolamento che poi è atteggiamento comune anche ad altri gruppi etnici che si sono rifugiati, come gli italiani, nel presunto benessere di paradisi artificiali come la casa bella e lussuosa, enclave e ghetto al contempo».
Mi sembra che lei stia ipotizzando una sorta di autarchia culturale etnica, che vuol dire chiusura. Ma non credo che ciò rispecchi le dinamiche di questo Paese in cui troviamo un esperimento piuttosto riuscito di multiculturalismo, senza il quale tutte le comunità avrebbero dovuto rinunciare alla propria identità. «Non metto in dubbio che il multiculturalismo canadese ha consentito la conservazione delle singole identità nazionali. Ma non si intoni il Te Deum.

LA SCHEDA

Dal cinema al design alle arti figurative
Sempre con Corrado Paina, facciamo un po’ di nomi di rilievo in ambiti diversi dalla letteratura, dove una catalogazione scientifica è stata fatta da Filippo Salvatore nel suo recente Ancient Memories, Modern Identities - Italian Roots in Contemporary Canadian Autors. «A me piace comunque sottolineare», dice Paina, «l’opera di Lamberto Tassinari, autentico punto di riferimento per tanti intellettuali montrealesi di origine italiana e non solo fondatore di Viceversa, l’unica rivista transculturale in quattro lingue (italiano, francese, inglese e spagnolo) in Canada; l’opera degli editori Antoine Del Busso di Boreal, Antonio d’Alfonso di Guernica e John Montesano di Eyetalian. Tra i poeti vorrei ricordare Piergiorgio Di Cicco, Gianna Patriarca, Antonino Mazza, Joseph Maviglia, Concetta Principe e Mary Di Michele. Nella saggistica va registrato John Zucchi, ottimo storico, allievo di Robert Harney. Infine nella prosa i nomi sono gli stessi di qualche anno fa: Frank Paci, Nino Ricci e la giovane Michelle Alfano». E in architettura? «Quattro nomi: Franco Scolozzi, Francesco e Aldo Piccaluga, Marco Polo, che sono i punti fermi a Toronto. Poi, Sergio Sgaramella che con la moglie Nelda Rogers, ha costruito intorno ad Azure, la rivista specializzata nel settore, una occasione professionale d’incontro per le giovani generazioni di architetti e designer». Passiamo a cinema e teatro. «Ci sono la sceneggiatrice Maristella Roca, l’attore ed autore Tony Nardi, i drammaturghi Marco Micone e Vittorio Rossi, la scrittrice Mary Melfi, i registi cinematografici Patricia Fogliato, Jerry Ciccoritti, Paul Tana, Carlo Liconti, Steve Sanguedolce, Louis Saia, Antonio Cimolino, Guglielmo Bernardi, l’attore Nick Mancuso, il fantasista Charile Chiarelli, l’attrice-autrice Tony Ellwon. Non dimentichiamo Richard Monette, di madre abruzzese, direttore del prestigioso Stratford Festival». E nel design? «Luigi Ferrara, architetto e vicepresidente del Toronto Design Exchange, che ha recentemente organizzato la grande mostra “Gusto”, appunto sul design italiano, Vasco Ceccone, Nick Monteleone». Passiamo alla musica. «Michael Occhipinti, David Occhipinti, Ivana Santilli, Rita De Ghent (jazz), i compositori Claudio Vena e Dino Verginella, Dave Bidini, John Rea, Dario Brancato (rock), Alfie Zappacosta (musica rock melodica), Fabio Mastrangelo, Ermanno Florio, Sabbatino Vacca nella musica classica». E andiamo alle arti figurative includendovi pittori, scultori e galleristi. «Guido Molinari, Francesca Vivenza, Fabrizio Marcolini, Mascia Manunza che lavora ad Atelier GF, l’unica tipografia d’arte di Toronto, Paola Poletto, Domenico D’Alessandro, John Romano, Antonio Caruso, Vince Mancuso, Sandra Calderaro Germinio Politi, Rob Marra, Otino Corsano, Antonietta Grassi, Davide Pan, John Pellegrinuzzi, Vincenzo Pietropaolo,Vittorio Fiorucci, Mario Merola, Joe Infurnari, Flavio Belli». (An. Ma.)

Drafting a map of Canada’s culture by Antonio Maglio

Corrado Paina, who’s been trying for years to identify the marks of Italian-Canadian culture even outside the domain of literature, tried to draw a cultural map (see the sidebar on this page). Our purpose was also to understand whether and how much the Italian presence has determined this country’s cultural choices. "First of all we must say that those marks are not easily identified," Paina says. "Also because the host of doctors, lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and politicians, does not correspond to a proportionally high number of artists. We should keep in mind that many of these artists do not care for a very visible link with Italy, preferring a more intimate cultural connection. What I mean is that they skip the definition of Italian Canadians: they’d rather consider themselves Italians working in Canada. Others go further, seeing themselves as Canadians, or Americans, of Italian heritage. In summary, an author’s Italian family name is not enough to tell what’s behind a painting, or a musical composition." In this case, how can an Italian-Canadian presence be identified, except in literature? "Through reference values. We can talk of an Italian-Canadian cultural presence when an Italian family name matches with Italian cultural values. In literature this is simpler, of course. But think of the difficulties implied by attempting this with design, or modern music. Art expressions nowadays are fully transnational." Corrado Paina came to Canada in 1987 "enticed by the cold beauty of the cities." His poems and tales have been published in many Italian, Canadian and U.S. literary magazines. He recently published two poetry collections, Tempo rubato, with engravings by Sandro Martini, Hoarse Legend, and a book of tales, Di corsa. A CD-ROM with some poems of his and some works by Sandro Martini will soon be published and distributed to Italian schools. Currently, his poetry has been included in a Spoken Word anthology published by Tupperware Sandpiper, also on CD, featuring several Canadian authors who’ve matched poetry with music. The map we drafted allows one to remark that the Italian cultural presence in Canada is not limited to literature. Can we assume that the Italian-Canadian cultural identity can generate innovative trends in this country? "Answering this question with a schematic Yes or No is very difficult. I wonder whether we can talk of an innovative and autonomous Italian-Canadian culture when most of its official aspects, and especially in literature, long lived and still in part lives with outdated ideals and imagines a non-existing, or at least not existing any more, Italy." You are not alone in remarking on this outdated idea of Italy. Why is it that these authors cannot find other themes of inspiration? "Probably this is because in a context of cultural confusion, undeclared as any factor of social tension in Canada, their inspiration inevitably goes to the ‘strong moment’ of their own, or their parents’, human experience. Thus they keep retelling the story of dad’s cardboard suitcase, and the epic of emigration resembles a perverse set of Russian dolls, hiding one’s roots in its innermost recess. When I talk of Italian-Canadian culture, I remember Greenaway’s doubt about zebras: what are they, white animals with black stripes or the other way around?" What do you mean? "I’m under the impression that the words ‘Italian Canadian’ have been somewhat overused. What do they mean? That the subject is more Italian than Canadian, or that the two identities balance out? In regards to us, is a second- or third-generation Canadian of Italian heritage more Canadian or more Italian? And, who are the Italian Canadians? Those with an Italian family name, or those with both parents Italian? In the case of mixed marriages, which cultural heritage influences most a Canadian child: an Italian father’s or a Moroccan mother’s? An Italian mother’s or an Albanian father’s? And then, should original Italians be called Italian Canadians, Italian in Canada, Canadians period, or orphans of parental cultural influences? Finally, wouldn’t it be more correct to call Canadian Italians the immigrants and Italian Canadians their children?" What are the effects of this situation on Italian-Canadian culture? "Strange effects indeed. On the one hand, the welfare and the opportunities offered by this country satisfied the immigrants who came here in the Fifties. On the other, conditions were often hard and the language challenge generated a subtle nostalgia for Italy and a latent refusal of Canada, attitudes well documented by historian Robert Harney. The result was a kind of isolation, not unlike many other ethnic groups which took refuge, as Italians did, in the artificial paradise of the well-to-do, such as luxurious houses, an enclave and a ghetto at the same time." It seems to me that you’re depicting some sort of cultural autarchy, i.e. closed-mindedness. This is not an accurate portrait of a country where multiculturalism has succeeded. "Canadian multiculturalism has allowed the specific national identities to be preserved, I do not deny this. But please, let’s not sing the Te Deum. The Canadian brand of multiculturalism can be better than similar experiments attempted elsewhere, but it’s still incomplete. You see, I feel that it’s merely a form of Anglo-Saxon tolerance, an attitude of cold democracy towards ethnic differences. On the other hand, the ethnic groups, or the people who think they represent these groups, took advantage of this, often appointing themselves without any formal election, awarding prizes to one another and speaking in the name of a community that had given them no mandate. Thus integration got confused with assimilation, and everybody’s purpose became the conquest of power." We gave this country much more than a power struggle conducted by the comfort of a golden isolation. "Right, provided we talk of the Italian contribution in the framework of Canada’s material and intellectual development. But try and look at the problem from another standpoint: how many quality cultural initiatives are promoted and financed by our community? Who blew the emigration epic out of all proportion? This process was carried out both by the official institutions and those of the community. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it nonetheless, that these situations took place in all communities, not just in ours. So it happened that multiculturalism, in an effort to preserve identities, rewarded the ghettos, the defense of traditions and prejudices alike, favouring ethnic demagogues and inviting them to the great feast where votes were collected. Many felt satisfied. In exchange, they didn’t disturb the driver. For instance, did our community talk about the Native question, or about the integration with other ethnic groups? No, never: this sort of debate is most unwelcome. Our community preferred to indulge on the issue, as old as a threadbare coat, of the internment of Italians in Petawawa during World War II, and the indemnification the Canadian government never granted. This is a thorny issue, but one easily managed by the government. I wonder, why all this fuss on Petawawa? And where’s the community in this debate? And again, how much of it is really interested?" One can’t reduce the issue of the internment to noisy fuss. Even if just a part of our community was involved, it should be recognised for raising the issue. "Yes, but it should have raised it by presenting all sides of the story. Let’s be clear: in my opinion the government made a mistake in interning the Italians in Petawawa, just like it did when it deported the Japanese and jailed the Ukrainians, the intellectuals and the left-wing union organizers. But nowadays the mistake is made by our community when it asks for money to be awarded on an individual basis. What should be asked is a collective indemnification, to be destined, e.g., to a museum that could testify the Italian contribution to this country. This would be something meaningful. Or to the creation of a joint cultural project with the Native community, or with the Jamaicans, much maligned. I’m talking of socially significant projects, made with the participation of citizens having different cultures and ethnicity. As you can see, my provocations are not gratuitous: I pose questions that are, as yet, unanswered. Let me pose another: Does an Italian-Canadian culture exist?" And how do you answer this question? "This country has a hard time identifying it, because it has open wounds in Quebec, a Native question still largely unresolved, the virus of emigration, the U.S. invasion. Do you know that 80-90 percent of the goods manufactured in Canada go to the United States? And do you know how the U.S. pay us? In dollars, yes, but also in cultural models. Looking around allows them to be seen everywhere. In this greatly confused cultural situation, imagine the children of our immigrants being brought along in holiday-exiles in tiny Italian towns far from everything, forced to spend their days among noisy relatives and to listen to endless stories about the countryside and hunger. Imagine these kids of yesterday, now grown men and women, drawn back and forth between two shores. Canada, only able to answer their material needs, and Italy, longed for but showing the face of a village lost among the South’s sunburnt hills or the North’s foggy plains; balancing amidst the unavoidable generation gap and the need of an identity to define themselves by. This resulted in a first generation that slaved away and was rewarded with the satisfaction of its material needs, the second grew up wondering about who they were. Now there’s the third: if it will manage to escape the vital needs that afflicted its parents and grandparents, it will become the real bridge between Italy and Canada." How much does Italy need Canada? "I’ll reply with another question: Do you believe that Italy knows Canada? Only those with an interest in international politics knew Pierre Trudeau; as to the rest, Italian universities knew Northrop Frye; marketing executives use a couple of quotes by Marshall McLuhan. Yesterday’s rockers knew Neil Young, today they know Celine Dion and Bryan Adams; some whistle the songs of Leonard Cohen, believed by all except De Andrè to be Bob Dylan’s younger brother. And then, in no specific order and always by word of mouth: Joni Mitchell, Paul Bley, Glenn Gould, Norman Berthune. To say nothing of the questions Italians pose: What language is spoken, French or English? Does it snow in summer? Is the capital Montreal? So, we’re back to Greenaway’s zebra." Let’s go back to it. "A couple of more questions: Has Italian-Canadian cultural awareness a base in Canada, or does this base, i.e. Canada, need the Italian-Canadian culture? But even before, does Canada exist as a cultural entity? And, do the conditions exist for our culture to help this country to find its own? When we speak of community culture, we can notice a prejudice of the old stock: newcomers must suffer what old-timers suffered in the past. For instance, this applies to the Portuguese and the Turks, who replaced Italians in construction labour. Thus the rhetoric of integration breaks down." You sound like a pessimist. "Not at all. This Canadian cultural confusion generates a strong tension, leaving a freedom of movement which old Europe does not allow. I recall a quote from Boris Vian: ‘I’m not in favour of happiness for all, but of happiness for everyone.’ To me, these words mean respect and acceptance of the difference, of the individuality. And this helps me to avoid the ghetto of my tribe."

From cinema to architecture to figurative art

Let’s mention a few relevant names in domains outside literature, where a systematic classification has recently been published by Filippo Salvatore in his book Ancient Memories, Modern Identities – Italian Roots in Contemporary Canadian Authors. "I’d like to underscore the works of Lamberto Tassinari," says Corrado Paina. "He’s a real reference point for many Montreal intellectuals of Italian as well as non-Italian heritage. He’s the founder of Viceversa, Canada’s only four-language transcultural magazine. Then there’s the work of publishers Antoine Del Busso of Boreal, and Antonio D’Alfonso of Guernica. Among the poets, I’d like to mention Piergiorgio Di Cicco, Gianna Patriarca, Antonino Mazza, Joseph Maviglia, Concetta Principe and Mary Di Michele. Essay writer John Zucchi, a pupil of Robert Harney, also deserves to be named. As to prose, the names are the same of some years ago: Frank Paci, Nino Ricci and young Michelle Alfano." What about architecture? "Four names: Franco Scolozzi, Francesco and Aldo Piccaluga, Marco Polo. They represent reference points for Toronto. Then there’s Sergio Sgaramella, who, with his wife Nelda Rogers, has turned Azure, the industry’s specialized magazine, into a professional meeting place for young designers and architects." Let’s talk about cinema and theatre. "There’s screenwriter Maristella Roca, actor and author Tony Nardi, playwrights Marco Micone and Vittorio Rossi, writer Mary Melfi, movie directors Patricia Fogliato, Jerry Ciccoritti, Paul Tana, Carlo Liconti, Steve Sanguedolce, Louis Saia, Antonio Cimolino, Guglielmo Bernardi, actor Nick Mancuso, entertainer Charlie Chiarelli, actress-author Tony Ellwon. And let’s not forget Richard Monette, born of a mother from Abruzzi; he is the director of the prestigious Stratford Festival." And in design? "Luigi Ferrara, architect and Vice President of the Toronto Design Exchange, who recently organized the great Gusto exhibition on Italian design, Vasco Ceccone and Nick Monteleone." How about music? "Michael Occhipinti, David Occhipinti, Ivana Santilli, Rita De Ghent (jazz), composers Claudio Vena and Dino Verginella, Dave Bidini, John Rea, Dario Brancato (rock), Alfie Zappacosta (melodic rock), Fabio Mastrangelo, Ermanno Florio, Sabbatino Vacca in classical music." And finally the figurative arts: painters, sculptors, and gallery owners. "Guido Molinari, Francesca Vivenza, Fabrizio Marcolini, Mascia Manunza who works at Atelier GF, Toronto’s only art printing works, Paola Poletto, Domenico D’Alessandro, John Romano, Antonio Caruso, Vince Mancuso, Sandra Calderaro, Germinio Politi, Rob Marra, Otino Corsano, Antonietta Grassi, Davide Pan, John Pellegrinuzzi, Vincenzo Pietropaolo, Vittorio Fiorucci, Mario Merola, Joe Infurnari, Flavio Belli."