La traduzione letteraria dalle lingue slave in italiano: stato degli studi e prospettive d'indagine

Literary translation from Slavic languages in the Italian context: current state of research and future directions Abstract: The article offers a critical survey of the most recent studies on translations from Slavic languages in Italy, situating them within the broader reflection on translated literature and its role in the contemporary Italian literary system. The analysis focuses on the need for systematic and up-to-date bibliographical repertoires, which are essential for coherently reconstructing the presence of the various Slavic literatures within the Italian literary and cultural space, and for highlighting continuities, discontinuities, and asymmetries. The contribution examines the historical, cultural, and publishing contexts that, in different periods, have fostered or hindered the entry, circulation, and acclimatization of translations, taking into account the role of translators and cultural mediators, academia, and the dynamics of the publishing industry. Particular attention is devoted to text selection criteria, promotion mechanisms, and channels of dissemination, as well as to translation quality in relation to literary tastes and the expectations of the Italian readership. Specific emphasis is finally placed on reception processes, which reveal a marked differentiation between literatures of greater and lesser diffusion and the persistent peripheral positioning of many Slavic traditions within the European literary polysystem. In conclusion, the article calls for the development of a comprehensive history of the reception of Slavic literatures in Italy, to be pursued from a comparative and European perspective.