Averno (poetry collection)

Averno is a poetry collection by American poet Louise Glück, published in 2006 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The collection draws heavily on the myth of Persephone and Hades, reimagining it from multiple perspectives, including Persephone, Demeter (Persephone's mother), and even Hades.

Averno itself is the name of a volcanic crater lake near Naples, Italy, believed in ancient times to be the entrance to the underworld. This physical location serves as a powerful symbol throughout the collection, representing death, the passage into the unknown, and the complex relationship between mortality and survival.

The poems in Averno are characterized by Glück's signature style: stark language, unflinching honesty, and a deep engagement with themes of trauma, loss, and the enduring power of nature. The collection explores not only the mythological narrative but also deeply personal themes of grief, the mother-daughter relationship, and the difficulties of artistic creation. The narrative shifts perspectives, providing a multifaceted understanding of the characters and their intertwined fates. Glück's Averno is not a simple retelling of the Persephone myth, but rather a profound meditation on its enduring relevance to the human experience.