Dall’Archivio Fortini: forme, pratiche e genealogie epistolari tra «La Riforma letteraria» e «Ansedonia» – «Lettere d’oggi»

Abstract

Fortini’s correspondence, still largely unpublished, testifies to early experiences of cultural organization. An important example can be found in the letters surrounding the second series of «Ansedonia» - «Lettere d’oggi» (1940-1941), while the earliest reflections on forms of cultural intervention can be traced back to «La Riforma letteraria» (1936-1939). The attempt to rethink critical practices and the call for the democratization of culture anticipate the ideas behind Vittorini’s «Il Politecnico» (1945-1947) and later experiences influenced by Gramscian thought. Fortini’s early letters also show stylistic traits that would recur throughout his writing, such as the epigrammatic mode, which the author himself explicitly recognized. This anticipates the practice of self-commentary that would characterize his mature and posthumous works.