Translated from English by Zviad Ratiani
Published in 1922 The Waste Land immediately became the central text in Modernist poetry along with James Joyce’s Ulysses, cited by Eliot as an influence and which he was reading when writing his poem.
Ezra Pound assisted with the publication of both great books, that’s why The Waste Land has a dedication that reads "For Ezra Pound: il miglior fabbo" (the better craftsman).
Loosely following the legend of the Holy Grail, the poem is one long narrative conjuring a vast and dissonant range of cultures and literatures, drawing inspiration form philosophical meditation and eastern religions.