by Karen Whittle Translating philosophy is no easy task. It is a balancing act in which the translator has to weigh up every single word in order to convey precisely what the author means to say. Take the title of one of the first books I translated: La Cura del Mondo (author, Elena Pulcini), which … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.36: Walking the Philosophical Tightrope
A conversation with Italian author Babas, a.k.a. Barbara Capponi, with Katherine Gregor about Katherine's English translation of her book How to Train Your Human (HarperVia, 2024) A book that is a must for cat lovers... or those not yet sufficiently evolved to appreciate, worship and obey cats. https://videopress.com/v/yOTkm0Wo?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fglli-us.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F10%2Fbabas-screen-capture-from-video.png&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true How to Train Your Human: A Cat’s … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.35: Katherine Gregor and Babas Discuss How to Train Your Human: A Cat’s Guide
by Stiliana Milkova Rousseva In the wake of Elena Ferrante’s global popularity, it has become somewhat of a trend for mainstream publications to “introduce” or “discover” other Italian women writers in English translation. This trend arises partly from readers’ curiosity and thirst for new voices and partly from critics’ and publishers’ intent to capitalize on … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.34: Natalia Ginzburg and Italian Women Writers in Translation
by Oonagh Stransky A recovered gem from the Italian postcolonial literary canon, this heartrending and kaleidoscopic work of creative non-fiction by Erminia Dell’Oro was originally published in 1991 by Einaudi. Twelve-year-old Sellass undertakes the dangerous journey to Massawa in search of a better life, going on to become a water carrier. Carlo musters up the … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.33: Abandonment: An Eritrean-Italian Story
by Emma Mandley As a translator who specializes in texts about art history and antiquities, I’m lucky enough to spend my time poring over fascinating works of art, from classical antiquity to modernist architecture. New topics always mean new and often demanding research: in recent times I’ve had to familiarize myself with terminology for subjects … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.32: Translating Art Books: Inside Pompeii by Luigi Spina
by Clarissa Botsford The Unbreakable Heart of Oliva Denaro by Viola Ardone is a novel about consent: a living and breathing testament to the #NoMeansNo and #MeToo movements. It’s the kind of book that people read in one night and then pass on to friends. It also lends itself to class and book-club discussions precisely … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.31: No Means No, or Does It? A Moving Testament to a Young Woman’s Courage
by Johanna Bishop A good anthology is a fine buffet. A good anthology of poetry in translation is a buffet of dishes that are probably new to you. A good anthology of contemporary poetry in translation is a buffet of dishes that are new to everyone at the party. And Tempo: Excursions in 21st-Century Italian … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.30: An Enticing Introduction to Contemporary Italian Poetry
by Stiliana Milkova Rousseva In April 2023, the PEN America Translation Committee’s Manifesto on the state of literary translation in America called on editors, reviewers, and review publications to acknowledge the translator’s agency in the creation of a literary text. In other words, the Manifesto called for combatting the prejudices against translation and translators in … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.29: Reading in Translation: Shaping a Culture of Reviewing Italian Literature in Translation
by Leah Janeczko A wealthy lord summons an artist to his palace to paint murals in the three windowless rooms to which his young son is confined due to a life-threatening illness. The artist’s boundless generosity turns the simple commission into a years-long labor of love, and his paintings allow the boy to vicariously experience … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.28: Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini: A Timeless Italian Masterpiece
by Antonella Lettieri Maria Grazia Calandrone was born in Milan in 1964, following her mother’s affair with an older man. A few years earlier, Lucia – that is, Maria Grazia’s biological mother – had been forced by her own father to marry a notoriously violent and often drunk man from her village in a rural … Continue reading #ItalianLitMonth n.27: Maria Grazia Calandrone’s Your Little Matter
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