Three Poems to Eleonora Duse (1924)

The famous actress Eleonora Duse died in Pittsburgh on April 21, 1924. She was on tour in the US with her company, and this tragic event was announced in the newspapers around the world. In May 1924, the Italian-American magazine «Il Carroccio» (founded and directed by the journalist Agostino De Biasi, an Italian migrant in New York) published a dossier in homage to Duse with the memories of many intellectuals who had known her. In particular, there are three poems written in English by three women that deserve a special attention: "Eleonora Duse. She of the Beautiful Hands" by Barbara Young, “Draw the Curtains” by Deborah Beirne, and "Duse as Francesca da Rimini" by Louise de Forest Shelton. The paper analyzes – for the first time – these poetic texts, considering Duse’s international success and the impact of her acting on the audience.