Elio Vittorini (1908-1966), Americana: raccolta di narrator, a cura di Elio Vittorini; con una introduzione di Emilio Cecchi (Milano: Bompiani, 1947). (F) PS519 .V588 1947

This fall, 2017, Jhumpa Lahiri, Professor of Creative Writing, and Sara Teardo, Lecturer in French and Italian, will be teaching: “Translation Workshop: To and From Italian,” based on Elio Vittorini’s 1941 anthology Americana.

The book showcases “thirty-three American writers translated for the first time into Italian – transformed the literary consciousness of a nation under fascism.” An instance where “literary translation broke through barriers of parochialism and became a defining cultural phenomenon.” Also included are 100 plates of iconic American photographs.

Their announcement promoted a look at the book that inspired this class.