From the Front Desk

I will make no appearance except through my writing, and selected writings of men and women who have influenced me, throughout the course of history with their words. There are no photographs of myself. None of the usual blogger artifices will appear, such as naming favorite actors, cats, dogs, movies, songs, or making links to videos, nor will any other unimportant trivia be used to bolster the writing. Hopefully the writing will speak for itself and no such devices will be necessary for an introduction. There will be no sophistication presumed here. I cannot pretend to be an irascible leftist, literary fop, profane comedian, self-absorbed rightist, middle-of-the-road nonentity, or a highly reputed but irresponsible jackass of today's scholarship--all of which I hope I am not and mightily strive not to become. I can only be as Spartan as I am.

Some of these posts may be controversial. That is not to say that they are devised simply as a put down or crude invective, as our late-night comedians can only do with their unpolished success. I do hope that they arouse controversy in the expectations of the too often contented reader. Oscar Wilde said, "I dislike arguments of any kind. They are always vulgar, and often convincing." I believe that he was running from the part that convinces. Oscar Wilde shrank from controversy and could not for his whole literary life escape what he often began. It is imperative for the reader of mine to know just what the topic under discussion means, not only from this writer's viewpoint but from the views of a myriad of readers. Argument is not contentiousness. The reader should keep an open mind for it will be essential to the reader's welfare and understanding to think clearly. Please, do not blame this writer for his faults on circumstantial evidence only. As a poet I can only be a guide to any one's understanding, and the more readers can do for themselves the better.

Dom Giovanni

Irish Italian poet