In Roman Poems, one of Italy’s most radical voices poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini turns his gaze to the streets of postwar Rome. Written between 1950 and 1957 during his time living in the working-class neighbourhoods of Rome, the poems are direct, unsentimental portraits of a city in transition. Pasolini writes with honesty and urgency about the lives he observed and lived alongside: young boys, street workers, labourers, and everyday Romans often ignored in mainstream culture. Blending local dialect with clear, accessible language, they are a powerful document of a time and place rarely seen in literature. More than just personal reflection, Roman Poems offers a broader view of life on the margins, capturing the tension between public identity and private experience, belonging and alienation. Speaking clearly and openly about class, desire, and the realities of urban life, this collection is considered a landmark work in modern European literature.