“Logbook” by Ardengo Soffi ci as a Lyrical “Book of the Future”

Soffi ci chooses a diary format for his programmatic autobiographical composition. Based on the Logbook’s structure, it can be concluded that the author records daily entries over the course of a year without skipping a single day. Soffi ci incorporates fragments written in various genres and styles into the diary. In several entries of the Logbook, Soffi ci off ers his vision of the “books of the future”. According to the writer, such books should include autobiography, psychological observations, letters and most importantly, lyrical revelations. In Soffi ci’s understanding, his new revolutionary work, designed to replace outdated literary models, embodies this concept. The Logbook contains aphorisms, excerpts from art studies, letters, satirical sketches, philosophical refl ections, “Malthusian” poems, verses with elevated diction and fragments of lyrical prose, made in the style of “prosa d’arte”. The Logbook by Soffi ci fully aligns with the concept of the “new literature” promoted by the journal Voce, one of whose ideological leaders was the writer himself. However, after leaving Voce and forging an alliance with the Futurists, Soffi ci sought to glorify Futurism and its adherents in his programmatic work. The nihilistic message and collage-like structure of Soffi ci’s composition indeed correspond to Futurist doctrine, yet the lyrical orientation of the Logbook remain far removed from Marinetti’s theoretical principles. Soffi ci’s new work faced harsh criticism from his “Futurist friends”.