“Quello stregone che non era altri che lui, James Joyce di Dublino”: le traduzioni di The Cat and The Devil in Italia *
the translations of James Joyce’s The Cat and The Devil in Italy

Summary/Abstract: This article sets out to explore the dynamics through which Joyce’s version of the legendof the “devil’s bridge”, narrated in a letter addressed to his grandson, Stevie, entered the world ofchildren’s literature in Italy. This occurred just after the legend’s publication in the USA and the UKunder the title The Cat and the Devil. It was immediately turned into a picturebook, a sophisticated literary product aimed at very young readers. In fact, far from being a mere text for toddlers, the ItalianIl gatto e il diavolo is at the centre of several intersemiotic and interlinguistic translations that enhancethe interpretative potential and richness of Joyce’s narration, already at the crossroads between folkloric and modernist translation. The comparative analysis of three different Italian translations ofthe story expressly addressed to children (the first by Enzo Siciliano, published by Emme Edizioniin 1967; the second by Giulio Lughi for Edizioni EL in 1980; and the third and more recent one byOttavio Fatica for ESG in 2010) has highlighted that the differences between them can be ascribedto distinct translation projects, aimed at building bridges between young readers and Joyce’s work invarious periods of the history of the Italian literary market for children.

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