Avanguardia esistenziale. Un incontro tra poesia e filosofia nelle Vedute di Benjamin Fondane

Building on the theoretical framework provided by numerous
studies devoted to the Romanian-Jewish poet Benjamin Fondane
— a multifaceted figure who moved among various avant-garde movements
without ever fully adhering to any of them — this paper aims to
demonstrate how the verses of his collection Vedute (1917–1923) represent
an original synthesis of the formal aesthetic exploration typical of
the avant-garde and an existentially oriented philosophical inquiry into
the most concrete aspects of human life. Fondane was already experimenting
with these new poetic forms in Romanian before becoming a
well-known writer in France. Drawing on themes of human experience
in an era marked by the devastations of war, the paper examines how,
in composing Vedute, Fondane employs poetic techniques typical of the
avant-garde — such as montage, fragmentation, and surreal imagery — to
explore existential themes including death, anguish, and freedom. Recognizing
this innovative aspect of Fondane’s poetry makes it possible to
reassess his role within Romanian literature in the broader context of the
European avant-garde, and to appreciate the heterogeneity and beauty of
the dialogue between poetry and philosophy that characterizes his work.
These verses can thus be described as a form of existential avant-garde poetry,
anticipating his later French writings and his encounter with Šestov’s
philosophy.