Russian Literary Theories in Italy: Translations and Research (1991-2023)

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the state of translation and research on Russian literary theories published in Italy from 1991 to 2023. Particular attention is given to the wide range of perspectives and activities put forward by national literary criticism, especially the role played by Italian journals specialising in Slavic studies such as “Studi Slavistici”, “Europa Orientalis”, “Russica Romana” “Ricerche Slavistiche”, “Slavica Tergestina”, “AvtobiografiJA”, “eSamizdat”, and publishers such as “Bompiani”, “Einaudi”, “Laterza”, “Marsilio”, “De Donato”. Notably, some journals, for instance “Strumenti critici”, “Enthymema”, “Letterature e Letteratura”, “LEA”, “Kamen’”, “Tincontre. Teoria Testo Traduzione” and “La parola del testo”, have shown a significant engagement with Russian literary theories, despite not being devoted to the field of Slavic studies. By taking into account the theoretical trends of the last three decades, I demonstrate that a great deal of consideration has been given to OPOJAZ, the Moscow Linguistic Circle, the so-called “Bakhtin Circle” and the gachn (State Academy of Art Studies), with a renewed interest in literary personalities such as Michail Petrovskij, Grigorij Vinokur, and Lev Pumpjanskij, but also in key figures linked to sociology of literature such as Boris Arvatov.