Born in Imperia in 1945, Giuseppe Conte is one of the most important and powerful voices in Italian literature today. A talented and versatile writer, he has published numerous books of poetry, novels, criticism, essays, and plays. He has received major literary prizes (including the Premio Montale) and has translated into Italian the works of Shelley, D.H. Lawrence and Walt Whitman. He has traveled extensively, has visited the United States to present his poetry, and now lives in Imperia, Italy, and in Nice, France.The Ocean and the Boy, Conte's first full-length book of poetry, is written in an intensely personal style, fusing myth and everyday reality. In this dual-language edition, the first English translation of a complete poetry book by Conte, the editor-translator, Italian-born poet Laura Stortoni, has included a translator's note, biographical and bibliographical data, endnotes and an introduction by Italo Calvino.
