The American reception of Italian poetry after WWII

Abstract

ABSTRACT Contemporary Italian poetry began to spread in the U.S. after World War II, appearing in literary magazines and anthologies along with neorealist films and novels. The reception of this genre requires an analysis of the mechanisms and factors that make books and authors relevant in different markets. An author’s success and the visibility of books are not measured only by sales, especially for poetry in translation. Publishers consider the prestige such works can bring to their catalog, even though they often involve a long-term investment and possible economic loss. Italian poetry has been crucial for many professional translators-in-training, representing their first encounter with Italian literature. Poetry translation is a complex challenge that requires negotiation between the translator’s creative freedom and attention to form and meaning. William Weaver is an example of a translator who sought an original voice through his approach to Italian literature. Robert Lowell explored the potential of “Imitations” in his work. The reception of Italian poetry in the U.S. has been influenced by important intermediaries such as Renato Poggioli, professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard, and Marguerite Caetani with the magazine “Botteghe Oscure.” Italian poets who debuted on the American scene and translators who made their works accessible to the public were identified. Modes of publication and indicators of legitimacy were considered, such as educational publications and integration into U.S. academic courses, but also critical reflections on Italian poetry that have been published in the American press and introductions and apparatuses found in translated works. Poetry is considered a legitimizing genre in the national and international literary scene, and some Italian poets have been consistently translated by English and American writers. Montale is a particular case study, as his works have been repeatedly retranslated by various poets and intellectuals, representing a laboratory of constant renegotiation of poetic form and meaning.