New releases in translation (December 2023 to March 2024)
Saying almost the same thing is the title of an essay in which the great Italian novelist and man of letters Umberto Eco addresses the role of translation. His literary works have been international bestsellers, also thanks to literary translators: The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum were the flagships of Italian literature when Italy became a Guest of Honour for the first time at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1988.
To ensure Italian books can be fully appreciated by German readers and lovers, funding for translation has been intensified since 2018, year when it was agreed for Italy to participate as Guest of Honour to the 2024 Book Fair: in the last 4 years alone, over 600 titles by Italian authors have been published or prepared for publication in Germany.
Recent additions include big names such as Dacia Maraini, whose avant-garde debut novel Le vacanze (The Holidays), written in 1960, has been retranslated by Ingrid Ickler and published by Folio under the title Tage im August.
But also lesser-known classics feature the list of these months’ book releases: a novel by Maria Messina for instance, born in Palermo in 1887 and much appreciated during her lifetime.
Contemporary authors such as Sandro Veronesi come back a novel set in a military submarine in the 1940, and Enrico Palandri – a student of Umberto Eco – with a love story set during the 1977 student protests in Bologna.
Illustrator Paolo Bacilieri graphically addresses the dark sides of society, as in his latest graphic novel, Private Venus. The story, told by Giorgio Scerbanenco, was published in March by avant-verlag, translated by Myriam Alfano.
Even younger readers are not forgotten in translations. Beatrice Alemagna writes and draws the story of Boubo, a lovely little chap who dares to do (almost) anything. The adorable picture story was translated by Kathrin Bögelsack and published in January by Bohem Verlag.