by Giulia Baselica
May 1977, a reader, wanting to know if there were any Italian translations of non-dissident Soviet writers, wrote to the editorial staff of the “Tuttolibri” supplement of the “Stampa” in Turin, hoping for a comprehensive answer. That letter sparked off an interesting debate that involved a Slavonic scholar, Serena Vitale, and a very committed editor, Ugo Mursia. First of all, the article pays homage to the courageous cultural project created and organised by the publishing house for almost twenty years. The project diffused the works of several of the most important, non-dissident Soviet authors. Secondly the article sketches a basic outline of the context (defined by the Soviet works proposed to readers by the Italian publishers) in which the Mursian translations were received.