Foreign Poetry in Italy, “A Gift of Freedom”

by Giulia Iannuzzi

This article is a historical survey of translated poetry in Italy, starting from a few important publications in the late 19th century that prepared the ground for the future. It reports the appearance, coding and use of parallel texts, and all subsequent publishing projects which marked the range of foreign poetry in Italy between the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. Special attention has been given to poetry series, to the presence or not of contemporary authors in the catalogue, to editors, directors and translators, and to their role and agency in terms of cultural mediation.