| The present dissertation focuses on the translation, critical interpretation and commentary of two of Erri De Luca's major works, In nome della madre (2006) and Il peso della farfalla (2009). The goal of the translations as well as of the critical introduction and the commentaries is that of analyzing how these two stories are connected to each other, and how essential they are to the understanding of the author's tenor and philosophy. In In nome della madre De Luca provides Miriàm with a voice, wholly feminine and maternal, during the inception and pregnancy of Ieshu. It emerges out of an omission, a missing story that De Luca reinserts into the most well-known story, merging, all at once, the Biblical with the imaginary, the human with the natural. Il peso della farfalla, on the other hand, deals with another one of his recurrent themes: that of man in peace with nature and in conflict with society and history. This story seems diametrically opposed to In nome della madre in that it gives us a masculine perspective, it talks about death, vengeance, defeat, and loneliness. And yet, at a closer look, they have much more in common than what their diverse plots would let to believe. It is especially through the translations, with their fundamental search for exactness, that we see the intrinsic connection of these two works. In essence, these works highlight the relationship between the protagonists and nature, illustrating the condition of societal exile and a belonging to nature, thus bringing to the forefront the humanity that emerges from this conflict. The goal of the dissertation is also that of examining in what ways these issues are treated in connection with De Luca's life, his style of writing, his social, political, and philosophical preoccupations, and his work's reception by literary and religious critics. Ultimately, this dissertation has a multifaceted purpose: (1) it provides insight into certain topoi by presenting their intertextual counterparts within De Luca's oeuvre; (2) it justifies specific translational decisions basing them on De Luca's distinctive, poetic and biblical prose; (3) it explicates the historical background that is essential to the understanding of the text. Finally, the last unit includes an interview with Erri De Luca, which sheds light on the raison d'être of some of De Luca's motifs. |
