Ricerc@Sapienza

For centuries relations between Europe and China were concurrent with the interaction between Italy and the Chinese Empire. This situation ended in the 19th century when Great Britain forcibly opened China to international trade. At the end of the century, knowledge of the Italian Risorgimento, with such heroes as Garibaldi, Mazzini, and Cavour, inspired some Chinese intellectuals in their effort to launch a national renewal.

At the beginning of the 20th century a number of Italian literary works were translated into Chinese through various intermediary languages, the first direct literary encounter between Italy and China. What works were chosen? And why? The article tries to offer some answers to these questions, explaining the reason why some Italian works introduced to Chinese readers became ‘classics’ for the entire 20th century, while others were overlooked.

The role played by Italian literature in the renewal of the Chinese literary canon was certainly limited, compared to other western literatures. However Italian authors and their works were not completely absent in the cultural Chinese arena at the beginning of the 20th century. Some important magazines of that period (Xiaoshuo yuebao, Dongfang zazhi, Xin qingnian) offered to Chinese readers a taste of Italian fiction, poetry and drama.

This paper focuses on the ways in which Latin poetry can be translated into Italian, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between the translator’s job and the commentator’s. The main argument is based on a close reading of significant examples in which modern translators of Vergil deal with passages where Vergil himself translates and reworks Homer’s text. Some insights are provided into the connection between translation, interpretation, reception, and critical examination of Classical texts.

This article presents a thematic outline of the cultural and literary relations between Italy and Iran from the 16th century to present. It focuses on the translation of key-works from Persian into Italian and vice-versa.