Edoardo Bizzarri e "Novellieri inglesi e americani"

Edited by Edoardo Bizzarri and Maria Martone, Novellieri inglesi e americani was published in 1944 by Salvatore De Carlo. The volume’s acknowledgment and impact seem to have been rather limited, probably due to the turmoil of the post-war years and to the publication of other collections which might have overshadowed it. Nevertheless, Novellieri inglesi e americani deserves a closer look as an artifact and as a repertoire. This contribution focuses on the English section, where Bizzarri gathered short stories from the 18th century to his present day on the basis of their adherence to his sense of “Englishness” and their literary value, including however also authors unknown to the Italian public or simply popular in Britain in order to provide a comprehensive documentary picture. Novellieri inglesi e americani is analyzed in comparison to other collections (Praz 1942; Cecchi 1947) highlighting the differences at the level of criteria, intended readership, and translation.