“The Tone or the Letter?”: Tommaso Landolfi as Translator of Russian Poetry between Renato Poggioli and Angelo Maria Ripellino

Abstract

This article delves into Tommaso Landolfi’s evolving translation strategies in regard to Russian poetry, with a particular focus on the influence exerted on him by two Italian slavists and translators, Renato Poggioli and Angelo Maria Ripellino. During the initial phase of Landolfi’s activity, the profound influence of Renato Poggioli becomes evident. This is exemplified by Landolfi’s translations from the 1930s and 1940s, as well as the rigid prescriptions expressed in his reviews of books translated by others. Subsequently, Landolfi undergoes a phase of re-evaluation, as evidenced by his review of Ripellino’s ‘literal’ translations and, most notably, by his first volume of translations of Pushkin (Einaudi 1960). In this book, Landolfi explores a wide range of strategies, particularly regarding the metrical organisation of the texts, without adhering to one specific approach. Ultimately, in his last two books of translations, Landolfi successfully amalgamates the contrasting models of Poggioli and Ripellino, culminating in the development of his own distinctive strategy.