Menotti Augusto Serse Lerro (22 February 1980) is an Italian poet, writer, playwright, librettist and Anglicist academic. His work explores matters of social alienation and existentialism, the physicality and vulnerability of the body, the interpretation of memories, the meaning of objects and the philosophical importance of human identity. In 2015 he published Donna Giovanna, l'ingannatrice di Salerno, a feminized bisexual version of the mythical figure of Don Juan, El Burlador de Sevilla. In 2018 he wrote Il Dottor Faust, an original version of the character of Faust. In addition he is the author of a "New Manifesto on the Arts" and the founder of the Empathic Movement (Empathism) that arose in the South of Italy at the beginning of 2020.

Lerro was born to Omignano in the Salerno Province. Son of Pietro Lerro, a carpenter, and Rosanna Pinto, a seamstress, he started to write poems when he was seventeen, as he stated in different volumes and interviews. The first componiment was titled "Ceppi incerti" (in English: "Uncertain stumps"), wrote in front of the fireplace of his parents' home. With this, he wanted to suggest both: that his life was as difficult to burn well as those wooden logs in the chimney pot, and that his poetry was still not really ready. He went then to study at Università degli Studi di Salerno where he got his first degree. He has got three sisters older than him: Melinda, Romina and Lucrezia. Lucrezia is also a poet and writer. Large part of his work is dedicated to the figure of his father. In particular there are clear autobiographical references in the semi-autobiographical novel Augusto Orrel: memorie d'orrore e poesia (Joker: 2007) and in the poetry collections Il mio bambino (Genesi: 2011) and Nel nome del padre (Genesi: 2012). In addition, strong allusions to his father and his chronic health problems are also in the theatrical volumes Il gorilla (Genesi: 2015) and Donna Giovanna (Zona: 2015). In 2020 the native municipality gives him the title of Honorary citizen. In that occasion, one of his aphorisms, written in a mosaic, was put on the wall of the council chamber, saying: "Non bisogna aver paura dei sogni, ma di chi non vuole farci sognare" (In English: "We shouldn't be afraid of dreams, but of those who don't want us to dream").

Education and career

Lerro studied English and Spanish languages and literatures at University of Salerno, starting in 2000, and received his degree in 2004. During this time he spent seven months in Oxford as an exchange student. In 2006, after working one year in Milan for Mondadori publishing house, he received a scholarship from the University of Salerno to study abroad and began his masters' degree in "The Body and Representation" at the University of Reading under the supervision of Carolyn Williams Lyle. He later received the expert status of “Cultore della Materia” at the University of Salerno and in 2010 became visiting scholar at the University of Reading, where he undertook postgraduate teaching. Later, after completing his PhD in English and Spanish literature at the University of Salerno, under the supervision of Maria Teresa Chialant and Giuseppe Gentile, he became a visiting scholar at the University of Warwick (2014) and at the University of Edinburgh (2020). He taught English Culture and Civilization and English Literature at Ciels University of Milan for four years (2014– 2018) before moving to Padua to teach the same subjects. He collaborated and taught lessons at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Accademia Albertina and IULM University. In 2022 he received a degree in Italian Studies (In Italian: "Lettere").

Enrolled in the register of journalists since 2005, in 2022 he started writing opinion pieces for the Italian newspaper Affari Italiani.

Criticism

According to Andrew Mangham: "Menotti Lerro is one of the most interesting poets in modern-day Europe". Lerro has also been praised by the Italian influential critic Giorgio Barberi Squarotti, who defined him as "brillant". In addition, the same Squarotti, wrote a preface at Lerro's collection of poetry titled Gli occhi sul Tempo, Manni editore, 2009. In 2012, Roberto Carifi referred to Lerro as "one of the most interesting poets of the current Italian panorama" in the magazine "Poesia" (Crocetti editore). Moreover, Alessandro Serpieri, known for his work about William Shakespeare and Emeritus Professor at the University of Florence in the end of his preface at Poesie scelte of Lerro (Zona: 2010) stated that "Between despair and dreaming, the poetic voice of Lerro shows a peculiar, expressive power modulated with images (that are often surprising) and a techniques in rhyme and metre that is often masterful". One of his 2015 dramas, Donna Giovanna, l'ingannatrice di Salerno, was the subject of a Master's degree from a student of the University of Palermo. The same dissertation became the basis for a critical volume about the figure of a female and bisexual Don Giovanni, first performed at the Biblioteca Marucelliana. Maria Teresa Chialant, Professor of English Literature at the Università degli Studi di Salerno stressed the "deep complexity" of Lerro's writing in the review of his dystopian novel 2084: Il potere dell'immortalità nelle città del dolore. In 2009, in the critical volume Gli occhi sulla critica (Zona: 2009) edited by Maria Rosaria La Marca, Nelo Risi stressed that in the poetry of Lerro there were "few illusions, and minimal comforts"; Cesare Segre defined Lerro's poetry "challenging"; Valerio Magrelli affirmed he was "particularly struck by Lerro's poems"; Guido Ceronetti Critical response to his literary work Menotti Lerro at The University of Reading, Poetry Reading, 2011 Donna Giovanna, l'ingannatrice di Salerno seducing her waitress sent his "best wishes to this melancholy twilight voice"; Alessandro Serpieri said that Lerro had "an authentic poetic voice". In 2008 Mondadori’s literary magazine Nuovi Argomenti selected Lerro as one of the poets to represent the new generation of poets born in the 1980s. Lerro has written several books of poetry and prose. Some of his works have been translated into other languages such as Poeme Alese. He also has visual poetry including Ritagli, consisting of 30 canvases, shown in Berlin, Milan, Florence, Omignano, Vallo della Lucania and Salerno (Pinacoteca di Salerno, Santa Maria de Lama's church and ipogeo del Complesso Monumentale di San Pietro a Corte). The 30 canvases were finally exposed in a "permanent exhibition" in Crescella Square in Roccadaspide for wish of the mayor Gabriele Iuliano. He produced the music CD I Battiti della Notte (Lerro-Krezymon) and in 2015 three concerts have been performed in Poland: Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk, organized by Italian Institute of Culture. In 2017, he performed two concerts in Italy: Ascea and Salento, Cilento. In 2019 the concert was given in Vallo della Lucania.

Works

(organized under the following sub-headings)

"Poetry"

-Ceppi Incerti (2003); Caffé Giubbe Rosse's series;

-Passi di Libertà Silenziose (2005);

-Senza Cielo (2006); 

-Tra-vestito e l'anima (2007); 

-Sento che ne è valsa la pena (2007); 

-Primavera (Poesie 1997-2007); (2008) Preface by Roberto Carifi;

-I Dieci Comandamenti (2009); Preface by Vincenzo Guarracino;

-Gli occhi sul tempo (2009) Preface by Giorgio Barberi Squarotti and Walter Mauro;

-Profumi d'Estate (2010); Preface by Luigi Cannillo;

-Il mio bambino (2011); Preface by Roberto Carifi, Giuseppe Lupo, Francesco D'Episcopo;

-Nel nome del Padre (2012); Preface by Giuseppe Gentile;

-Gli anni di Cristo (2013); 

-Entropia del cuore (2015); Preface by Carla Perugini 

-Pane e Zucchero (2016); Preface by Giuliano Ladolfi and Carlo Franza 

-Decanto (2017); Preface by Davide Rondoni 

-Canto randagio dal Cilento (2019); 

-Estate (Poesie 2008-2020); (2020); Preface by Giampiero Neri 

-Lockdown. Profumi d'Autunno (2022); 

-Una nota sospesa (2023); Preface by Maurizio Cucchi

-Memorie e figure di fine millennio (2024); Preface by Enrico Testa 

"Narrative"

-Augusto Orrel: memorie d'orrore e poesia (2007);

-Il diario di Mary e altri racconti (2009);

-Fuga da Orrel/Flucht vor Orrel (2012); (In Italian and German languages. -Preface and translation by Maria Brunner)

-2084. Il potere dell'immortalità nelle città del dolore (2013);

-I Mostri di Anoir (2019);

"Theatre"

-Donna Giovanna (2015);

-Il gorilla (2015);

-L'ingannatrice di Salerno. Donna Giovanna, Preface by Maria Rita Parsi and Francesco D'Episcopo (Multiple-language version: English, Spanish, Romanian and Italian - 2016);

-Donna Giovanna, l'ingannatrice di Salerno (2017 - Opera Libretto) Prefaces by Maurizio Cucchi and Enrico Renna;

-Il Dottor Faust (2018), Preface by Maria Rita Parsi;

-La solitudine dei miti (2021) [this volume contains also a Russian version by Valentina Sentsova of the drama Donna Giovanna];

-Disamore (2024), Preface by Maria Rita Parsi;

"Aphorism"

-Aforismi (2008);

-Aforismi di una notte (2008);

-Aforismi e Pensieri. Cinquecento gocce dal mio mare (2013);

"Poetry in translation"

-Poesias elegidas: translated into Spanish by Ana Maria Pinedo Lopez; Preface by Carla Perugini, Alessandro Serpieri and Gabriela Fantato (Zona: 2010);

-Selected Poems: translated into English by Andrew Mangham and Maria Rosaria La Marca (Genesi: 2011);

-Poeme alese: transleted into Romanian by Simona Samulescu (Genesi: 2013);

"Musical CD"

-I Battiti della Notte (Zona: 2015); (with Tomasz Krezymon).

"Criticism"

-I Poeti Senza Cielo (2007);

-L'io lirico nella poesia autobiografica (Zona: 2009); (this volume contains interviews to: Giorgio Barberi Squarotti, Franco Buffoni, Roberto Carifi, Franco Loi, Maurizio Cucchi, Giancarlo Pontiggia, Folco Portinari, and others);

-La tela del poeta (Genesi: 2010);

-Raccontarsi in versi. La poesia autobiografica in Inghilterra e in Spagna (1950-1980), (Carocci: 2012);

-Autobiographical Poetry in England and Spain, 1950-1980: Narrating oneself in verse (Cambridge Scholars Publishing: 2017);

-The Body in Autobiography and Autobiographical Novels. The Importance of Being Normal (Cambridge Scholars Publishing: 2018);

-New Manifesto of Arts (Zona: 2020); 

-La Scuola Empatica (Ladolfi: 2020);

-The Empathic Movement (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2023); Hardback edition

-The Empathic Movement (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2024); Paperback edition.

"Books published using heteronyms"

-With the name Augusto Orrel, Storie (2007);

-With the name Serse Monetti, Storia di un cilentano in giro per il Mondo (2008); 

"Criticism"

-A biographical sketch on "biografieonline";

-Gli occhi sulla critica, edited by Maria Rosaria La Marca (Zona editrice: 2010);

-The Poetry of Menotti Lerro, edited by Andrew Mangham (Cambridge Scholars Publishing: 2011); 

-The Poetry of Menotti Lerro, edited by Andrew Mangham (Cambridge Scholars Publishing: 2012); Paperback enlarged version.

-Menotti Lerro. Tra Drammaturgia e Narrativa, edited by Francesco D'Episcopo (Genesi editrice: 2019);

-«Entropia del cuore» di Menotti Lerro. Segreti e suggestioni, edited by Francesco D'Episcopo (Genesi editrice: 2020); 

"Secondary bibliography"

-«Donna Giovanna» di Menotti Lerro. L'innovazione del mito, edited by Sara Cudia (Zona editrice: 2020);

-Maria Teresa Chialant, "2084. Il potere dell'immortalità nelle città del dolore", IF edited by Riccardo Gramantieri e Giuseppe Panella, Odoya publishing, N. 20/2016, pp. 164-165;

-Francesco D'Episcopo, "Il Cilento nel mondo attraverso la voce di Menotti Lerro", in "Riscontri" (Magazine), AD XLIV. N. 3. Settembre-Dicembre 2023, pp. 125-128;

-Maurizio Cucchi, "La modernità del Movimento Empatico", on the daily newspaper Avvenire, 15 June 2024, p.16.

-Maurizio Cucchi, "E' assai arduo l'uso della rima", La Stampa, 2006.

-Maurizio Cucchi, "Cosa intendono i poeti quando dicono 'io'", on the daily newspaper Avvenire, 12 December, 2012, p. 22.

-Francesco D'Episcopo, "Sinerge. Scuola Eleatica, Scuola Medica, Scuola Empatica: il triangolo culturale del territorio salernitano, da Parmenide a Lerro"; In "Riscontri" (Magazine), pp. 13-14. Anno XLIV - N.2 Maggio-Agosto 2022, edited by Ettore Barra

-Gino Ruozzi, "Rime che fanno il verso all'aforisma", Il Sole 24 ore, 22 July, 2012, p. 16.

-Carlo Carabba (edited by), Nuovi Argomenti, Mondadori, "Non ancora trentenni", "Menotti Lerro. Senza volto né voce" N. 41, quinta serie, Gennaio – Marzo 2008, pp. 194–195;

-Gabriella Sica, Scrivere in versi, "La poesia degli anni dieci" (Il Saggiatore: 2011), p. 256;

-Vincenzo Schettino, La Decima Musa (Firenze University Press: 2016), p. 260;

-Davide Puccini "Review at Gli occhi sul tempo (2009)"; On "Poesia" (Crocetti), Mensile Internazionale di Cultura Poetica, Anno XXII, Novembre 2009, N. 243, pp. 62–63. Giancarlo Pontiggia, Review of Primavera of Menotti Lerro (2008);

-On the literary magazine "Testo. Studi e Teoria e Storia della Letteratura e della Critica" N° 59 – Nuova Serie. Anno XXXI. Gennaio-Giugno 2010. Three poems by Menotti Lerro on the literary magazine "ClanDestino", edited by Davide Rondoni.

-On Italian Literature since 1900 in English Translation (edited by Robin Healey), University of Toronto Press (2019).

-On "The European Journal of life writing", volume X (2021), edited by J Görbert, ML Hansen, JC Wolf, "The self in verse. Exploring Autobiographical Poetry".

-On "Poezia", Romanian revista de cultura poetica, edited by Marius Chelaru (writer), Anul XX, nr. 4 (74) iarna 2015, pp. 177–180;

-A biographical sketch and poems of Menotti Lerro on the Italian literary magazine "Vernice", Anno XIX n°49, pp. 287–295;

-Some poems of Menotti Lerro on the American literary magazine "Gradiva. International Journal of Italian Poetry", Number 39/40 Spring/Fall 2011, pp. 103–104;

-Roberto Carifi on Menotti Lerro, in the International literary magazine "Poesia", Crocetti editore, Anno XVI, Febbraio 2003, N. 169, p.77.

-Roberto Carifi on Ceppi incerti (2003), in "Poesia", Anno XVI, Giugno 2003, N. 173, p. 77.

-Roberto Carifi on Senza cielo (2006), in "Poesia", Anno XIX, Settembre 2006, N. 208, p. 77.

-Roberto Carifi on Menotti Lerro in "Poesia", Anno XX, Giugno 2007, N. 217, p. 77.

-Roberto Carifi on Primavera (2008), in "Poesia", Anno XX, Novembre 2007, N. 221, p. 78.

-Roberto Carifi on I Poeti Senza Cielo (2007), in "Poesia", Anno XXI, Marzo 2008, N. 225, p. 78.

-Roberto Carifi on Gli occhi sul tempo (2009), in "Poesia", Anno XXII, Febbraio 2009, N. 235, p. 77.

Roberto Carifi on Profumi d'Estate (2010), in "Poesia", Anno XXIII, Aprile 2010, N. 248, p. 77.

-Roberto Carifi on Nel nome del padre (2012), in "Poesia", Anno XXV, Maggio 2012, N. 271, p. 78.

-Carlo Franza, "La poesia di Menotti Lerro, fra recupero d'infanzia e vita d'esilio", Il Giornale, 2016.

-Carlo Franza, "Decanto di Menotti Lerro. Nuovo libro di poesie di un poeta italiano che racconta la sua esistenza.", Il Giornale, 2017.

"Empathic Movement"

The Empathic Movement, or Empathism (Italian: La Scuola Empatica / Empatismo) is a literary, artistic, philosophical and cultural movement born in Italy in 2020 within the ‘New Cultural Triangle of Ancient Cilento’: (Omignano – "The Aphorisms Village", Salento, Cilento – "The Poetry Village", Vallo della Lucania – "Seat of Contemporary Arts Centre"). Starting with the values and ideas expressed in the New Manifesto of Arts written by Menotti Lerro and Antonello Pelliccia in 2018. The manifesto - launched in 2019 at the literary Caffè Giubbe Rosse in Florence and at the Brera Academy in Milan - places empathy and the need to feel close, at the centre of the self, in contrast to previous views as isolated artists. It proposes that any creative or didactic experimentation cannot be separated from a process of identification with other's life stories. The manifesto further implies a civil promotion of the artistic society from individual and community growth, according to ethical purposes mediated by art.

Lerro developed the Cilento International Poetry Prize (Italian: Premio Internazionale Cilento Poesia), an Italian literary prize founded in 2017 and awarded annually in Salento, Cilento – "The Poetry Village". Some of the prize awardees include: 2017 – Davide Rondoni; 2018 – Milo de Angelis; 2019 – Giampiero Neri and Vivian Lamarque; 2020 – Elio Pecora; 2021 – Dacia Maraini; - Valerio Magrelli and Tiziano Rossi; 2023 - Maurizio Cucchi and Najwan Darwish. Prizes for criticism have been awarded to: 2018 – Francesco D'Episcopo; 2019 – Umberto Curi; 2020 – Remo Bodei. Prizes for narrative have been awarded to: 2023 - Diego De Silva (writer) and Maria Rita Parsi. 

"Awards and honors"

Honorary citizen of Omignano Cilento.

Honorary citizen of Salento, Cilento.

In 2016, awarded in Palazzo Montecitorio with a “Special Mention”, in the three selected authors for Literature, for the Italian National Prize “100 Italian excellences”.

In 2019 – "Libri Meridionali" prize.

In 2018 – "Giambattista Vico" prize.

In 2018 – "Paolo Serra" prize.

In 2018 – "Premio Speciale Unico per la Campania, Ambiart" prize.

In 2015 – "CetonaVerde" prize.

In 2010 – "L'Aquilaia" prize.

In 2010 – "Aquila d'oro" prize.

In 2010 – "Renata Canepa" prize.

In 2010 – "Andropos" prize. (Selected in the three finalists of the prize "Alfonso Gatto" with the poetry collection Gli occhi sul tempo; Selected in the three finalists of the prize "I Murazzi" with the poetry collection Il mio bambino and selected in the four finalists of the "Città di Leonforte Prize" with the poetry collection Primavera; Selection "Camaiore prize" with the poetry collection Una nota sospesa; Special mention "David Maria Turoldo" prize; Special mention Castello di Duino prize; Culture award "Cenni-Marconi"; Finalist "Città di Sassuolo" prize; In the three finalists "Giuseppe Longhi" prize;).