Fairy Tales in Italy during the 20th Century and the Translations of Tales of Long Ago
Fairy Tales in Italy during the 20th Century and the Translations of Tales of Long Ago

Summary/Abstract: Why was the book Tales of Long Ago translated into Italian only in 1957, whereas it was published by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić in 1916? The paper explains that this delay depends on the development of fairy tales in Italy during the 20th century between the folktale tradition and fantastic children’s literature. At the beginning of the 20th century there were two lines of evolution: on the one hand, attention was given to fairy tales coming from Northern Europe and, on the other hand, attention was given to traditional and local folktales. During the Fascist era, fantastic writing was an “unfettered realm” which prepared the development of the post-war period. In the second half of the 20th century in Italy, cultural and publishing trends were directed to reinforce national identity and build a European identity at the same time. Tales of Long Ago was translated into Italian and then this collection became part of the Enciclopedia della leggenda [Encyclopaedia of the Legend] (1957), a book edited by Giunti-Marzocco which extended the worldview of Italian children. The documentation in the Giunti Historical Archive allows us to explain the complex history of the Italian translation of Tales of Long Ago.

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