1st Edition

Elio Vittorini: The Writer and the Written

By Guido Bonsaver Copyright 2000

    Elio Vittorini holds a major position in 20th-century Italian literature thanks to both his narrative production and his activity as editor and militant intellectual. This work aims to present the English-speaking reader with a comprehensive study of the author, his times and his work. Particular attention has been paid to the interconnection between Vittorini's work as a fiction writer and his political commitment which saw him move from revolutionary fascism to communism, to independent left-wing militancy. The combination of extensive archival research with a re-appraisal of his fiction and of his editorial activity provides a full picture reaching beyond the traditional restricted view of Vittorini as the anti-fascist author of "Conversazione in Sicilia".

    Introduction PART ONE The Years of Literary Apprenticeship: 1908-29 CHAPTER i The Context: Under the Shadow of Malaparte CHAPTER 2 The Burlesque of Re Gianpiero and // brigantino del Papa CHAPTER 3 Narrative as Prosa d'Arte PART TWO Changing Perspectives: 1930-36 CHAPTER 4 The Context: The Florentine Years CHAPTER 5 Exercises in Psychological Realism CHAPTER 6 Viaggio in Sardegna CHAPTER 7 From II garofano rosso to Erica PART THREE The Novel as Weapon: 1937-45 CHAPTER 8 The Context: Anti-fascism and the American Novel CHAPTER 9 Conversazione in Sicilia CHAPTER 10 Uomini e no PART FOUR The Politics of Literature: 1946-1966 CHAPTER 11 The Context: Social Change and Artistic Integrity CHAPTER 12 The Editorial Ventures of II Politecnico, I Gettoni and II Menabò CHAPTER 13 // sempione strizza Vocchio al Frejus CHAPTER 14 Le donne di Messina as a 'Failure in Progress' CHAPTER 15 The Unfinished Fiction: La garibaldina, Le città del mondo and Populonia PART FIVE Linking Threads: A Thematic Analysis, CHAPTER 16 Some General Remarks CHAPTER 17 Narrative Style and Ideology CHAPTER 18 Kings, Queens and Grandfathers CHAPTER 19 Incompleteness as a Working Practice, CHAPTER 20 Vittorini, the 'Cultural Operator', Conclusion

    Biography

    Guido Bonsaver