Review
"Coppola knows it's time to talk about love again..." --
Arts Encounters, CBC Radio 10/10/96"Coppola's poetry is reminiscent of the great Italian poets. A delightful read." --
Canadian Scene"Simple, yet complex enigmatic poetry that makes you think. An absolutely fascinating look at what Time really means to us all. My students thoroughly enjoyed it." --
M. Panagia, University of Winnipeg, CanadaCoppola is "your basic old-fashioned romantic poet - pure sentiment, pure feeling, pure unabashed verses of love" --
Winnipeg Free Press 11/96Coppola's works embody important human values and profound reflections on life. Those who have read The Many Facets of Time will have remarked, as I did, the painful reflections on the inevitable passing of time: Time erodes even the most resistant rocks and takes with it those dear to us, and the years of our youth. But Time does not succeed in conquering our bonds to places and people we love.
Time is defeated through Coppola's poetry as we relive before our eyes, landscapes dominated by the sea, the changing light of evening, the faces of loved ones, their words and their feelings.
With his rich and elaborate language, Coppola makes a place for himself in the long and reflective tradition of Italian poetry. In his poems about love, there are echoes of "dolce stil novo".
But even confronted with the relentless passing of time, the anchor of salvation is the mind, the ability to reflect and to question. -- Honourable Charles Caccia, Member of Canadian Parliament, Ottawa, Canada 2/9/99
About the Author
Carmine Coppola was born in Pompeii, Italy, a town steeped in history and full of vibrant colour. He spent the golden years of his childhood in his native town and later entered the Faculty of Geology at the University of Naples. It is during this period that his maternal grandfather, a poet and lyricist, passed on to him his great love of poetry.
Coppola now resides in Winnipeg, Canada amid the tranquillity of the Canadian prairies, the ideal setting, as he says, to put one's thoughts into verse. Fortunately, the serenity of his surroundings has allowed him to devote himself completely to his poetry and writing. His first collection of poems, Poesie per Giulia (Poems for Julia) was published in Winnipeg in 1996 by MHIC. It told the tale of Julia, a metaphor for love as it was meant to be. It was presented at the Italian Institute of Culture in Toronto and highly praised for its simple, yet poetic speech. His second collection, The Many Facets of Time (Il tempo e le sue cose) has also received an enthusiastic response from media and readers alike. His poems have also been featured in several anthologies: The Anthology of Italian-Canadian Writing (Guernica Editions:1998) and the International Open Window Anthology (Hidden Book Press:1999).
Coppola has already begun work on several projects, including a novel set during the Second World War and a collection of philosophical essays. He is also an accomplished songwriter (as was his grandfather who wrote songs for the famous Italian Neapolitan singer, Sergio Bruni) and plans to release a CD of his music in the near future.
