Gulag Literature in Italy (1991-2022). A Few Notes on Editions and Re-editions of a 'Minimal Canon'

Abstract

The paper deals with the publishing history in the post-Soviet era of three very prominent works in Gulag literature in Italian translation – Life and Fate by Vasilij Grossman, Kolyma Tales by Varlam Šalamov and The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solženicyn – in order to reconstruct their Italian reception in the years 1991-2022. The controversies surrounding the publication of these works in Italy are also discussed, and it is noted how the Italian press has paid particular attention to them, with major Italian writers reviewing the editions and contributing to their Italian reception. Finally, the lack of critical reflection by Italian Russianists on Gulag literature is discussed.

Keywords

• Gulag Literature
• Vasily Grossman
• Reception of Russian literature in Italy
• Varlam Shalamov
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn