‘Dear reader, you will find herein a selection of poems extracted from several collections which I published with either Italian or French publishers. In poetry I seek wonderment, unexpected bewilderment, the many ways of staying on top of the nothing that threatens us.’ — Viviane Ciampi

‘The first impression is one of accuracy, the result of conciseness, simplicity, her way of joggling with how verses follow one another, her refraining from being heavy-handed or forceful. Her voice is direct, fast paced... It is more difficult to identify the quality of emotions that have never left me, emotions that discreetly pour from a wound that is like an inner mouth, a mouth that masters the critical language of observation and reflection (both the kind that reflects and the kind that is reflected)... Viviane caresses the passage of time and its effect on her being and her “subjects”. I love the atmosphere she creates with reasoned emotions (I want to say “tough gentleness”) and how she refuses to nestle in sentimentalism.’
— Bernard Noël

‘Among the quantity of poets whose works give you the impression of reading the same poet, here we are in front of a poet who stands out — brave, I would say.’
— Dacia Maraini, RAI

‘Viviane Ciampi’s poetry is known for its richness of metaphors, for the singular lexical inventiveness... In her most recent and mature texts, she explores the recovery of memory, her childhood lived along the Rhone River... The discovery of precarious love leads her to write some very incisive verse.’
— Francesco De Nicola, Dizionario degli scrittori liguri (1861-2007)

Viviane Ciampi, born in France, has lived in Genoa since the 1970s. Before devoting herself to poetry, she founded two schools of dance. Poet, translator, anthologist, she has published eleven collections of poetry, some as bilingual editions. Her work (often recorded) focuses on poetry itself, be it on or off of the paper page. Her poetry has been translated in a variety of languages.