On March 2nd, 2025, La Lettura’s Corriere Art Collection debuts a special cover honoring Nicola Crocetti, the visionary editor, translator, and publisher who dedicated his life to poetry.
A towering figure in the literary world, Crocetti is celebrated for his lifelong commitment to bringing poetry to the forefront of cultural discourse. In this issue, he selects verses by Constantine Cavafy, reflecting on the legendary Battle of Thermopylae, a timeless testament to resilience, sacrifice, and the pursuit of truth.
The print edition hits newsstands nationwide on Sunday, March 2nd. The digital collectible version—featuring a digital certificate of authenticity and a 3D rendering of the cover—will be available starting Tuesday, March 4th.
Nicola Crocetti: A Lifelong Advocate for Poetry
For over four decades, Nicola Crocetti has been a defining force in bringing poetry to the forefront of Italian literary culture. Born in Patras, Greece, in 1940, he has spent his life dedicated to the translation, publication, and promotion of poetry, fostering a deep cultural dialogue between Greece and Italy.
In 1981, he founded Crocetti Editore, a publishing house devoted to poetry, followed by Poesia in 1988: a groundbreaking magazine that became the most widely read poetry publication in Italy and Europe. Over the years, Poesia has featured thousands of poets and tens of thousands of translated works, solidifying its role as a central platform for poetic discourse.
Crocetti’s work as a translator has been instrumental in introducing Italian audiences to some of the most significant voices in modern Greek literature, including Constantine P. Cavafy, George Seferis, Yannis Ritsos, and Odysseas Elytis. His most ambitious undertaking came in 2020 with the Italian translation of Nikos Kazantzakis’s The Odyssey: A Modern Sequel, a monumental 33,333-line epic that continues Homer’s legacy.
Through his lifelong commitment to poetry, Nicola Crocetti has not only reshaped Italy’s literary landscape but has also built an enduring bridge between cultures, ensuring that poetry remains a powerful and essential form of truth.
Honoring Poetry: Nicola Crocetti’s New Cover
Launching with the March 2nd cover of La Lettura’s Corriere Art Collection, Nicola Crocetti is celebrated through a special edition that pays tribute to his lifelong dedication to poetry. As a translator, publisher, and editor, Crocetti has spent decades bringing poetic voices to the forefront, shaping literary culture in Italy and beyond.
For this issue, Crocetti has selected verses by Constantine P. Cavafy, centered on the Battle of Thermopylae, a timeless reflection on sacrifice, resilience, and the pursuit of truth. His choice underscores his unwavering belief in poetry as a force of clarity in uncertain times.
Reflecting on Crocetti’s impact, Corriere della Sera’s Art Director Gianluigi Colin states: “Honor to those who, in their lives, stood as guardians of Thermopylae, never failing in their duty. Upright and just in their actions, yet always with sorrow and compassion…” In celebration of Poetry Month, la Lettura pays tribute to Nicola Crocetti - Hellenist, esteemed translator, journalist, but above all, a publisher. In fact, Crocetti is the publisher who “invented poetry,” having founded Poesia in 1988, the prestigious magazine dedicated to poetic culture. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s words, “Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is blind painting", we have portrayed Nicola Crocetti (born in Patras, Greece, 1940) within the metaphysical spaces of his Milan home, designed by Aldo Rossi, asking him to choose a poem. For this cover (available in digital edition starting Tuesday), he selected verses by Constantine Cavafy, dedicated to one of history’s most heroic moments: the Battle of Thermopylae, where three hundred Spartans sacrificed themselves against three hundred thousand Persian invaders. A reminder never to forget the battles fought for freedom. Words that reaffirm Nicola Crocetti’s unwavering commitment to a fundamental truth: “Poetry is a word of truth. In times of falsehood, injustice, and misery, it is the only possible answer.”
This issue is also a collector’s edition: starting Tuesday, the cover will be available as a digital artwork, complete with a QR code. Through his relentless dedication, Crocetti continues to affirm a fundamental truth-poetry is, and always will be, a language of truth.