Greek Tragedy in 20th-Century Italian Literature

Focusing on the works of Camillo Sbarbaro and Giovanna Bemporad, this book examines the tragic Greek paradigm influenced by these two poets and offers the first in-depth analysis of poetic translations of Greek tragedy in 20th-century Italian poetry.

The linguistic and ideological diversity, embedded in their respective work, is chartered and examined so that the reader learns how narratives of Greek tragedy shaped their poetic universe.

Caterina Paoli provides a fresh perspective on the pedagogical commitment of the Italian poets and their roles as translators of classical studies. She also investigates the Italian poetic community's response to the process of cultural appropriation and re-shaping of national identity based on the classical studies that was supported by the Fascist regime from 1922-43. As well as offering a discussion of larger cultural patterns, the reader is also presented with textual analysis of the translations. Poetically, politically and philosophically, Paoli fills a large gap in current scholarship on the translation of ancient literature in the Italian poetic community. This ground-breaking book will spark debates and inspire further studies of classical reception.