Volgarizzamenti in prosa by Giacomo Leopardi (review)

In a letter dated 15 April 1817, Pietro Giordani advised the young Leopardi on the benefits of reading and translating classical Greek prose writers for the purpose of forming his literary style. Giordani noted a remarkable proximity between Greek and Italian, as the two languages naturally shared a certain gentleness of stylistic manners. Leopardi followed this advice, but soon, translating ancient Greek for him turned out to be not just a scholarly training or a cultivated aesthetic exercise, but also, and chiefly, a practice implying a cultural and moral meaning. Leopardi’s Volgarizzamenti in prosa, edited by one of the most prominent contemporary Leopardi scholars, focuses on such a move, carefully analyzing a trajectory of Leopardi’s artistic journey which has at times been neglected. The book presents an accurate critical edition of all the translations from Greek prose (ranging from fifth-century Athens to the early Christian period) performed by Leopardi from 1822 to 1827.

In addition to philological accuracy, the key innovation of this volume lies in its monographic approach and in the way these works are presented to the public. Moving away from the traditional separation into finished and unfinished translations, as it was in Moroncini’s first critical edition (1931), D’Intino has rearranged the writings into those published during the author’s life and those published posthumously. To the first category belong three translations, drafted in 1822–23 but revised and published only in 1826–27: Martirio de’ Santi Padri, Frammento di una traduzione in volgare dell’Impresa di Ciro descritta da Senofonte and Discorso in proposito di una orazione greca di Giorgio Gemisto Pletone. In the second category we find a particular group of translations, both finished and unfinished (a few of them are in a rather fragmented state), composed by Leopardi between 1824 and 1825: they were selected for their strong moral component, and conceived as parts of a unitary editorial project, entitled Moralisti greci. The work would have been divided into two tomes, the first gathering four Operette morali by Isocrates, the second collecting seven works by various authors, among whom Epictetus, Longinus, Prodicus, Theophrastus, etc. The project, well defined in its details (even the book covers were ready), was proposed to the Milanese publisher Stella who firstly agreed to publish it, but was never brought to completion.

The distinction between published and unpublished writings allows D’Intino to shed light on the editorial situation and the cultural significance of the Volgarizzamenti. Leopardi did not intend them as scattered translations, but as a uniform literary project in which a privileged position was to be given to the Moralisti greci series, considered as its artistic and moral peak. This can also be noted in the very chronology of the translations, slightly revised by D’Intino (the date of composition of Pletone’s Orazione is for instance moved from 1826 to 1823): the period of Leopardi’s most intensive activity—the biennium 1824–25—coincides with the very Moralisti greci, whereas the three published works mentioned above occupy a peripheral position (1822–23 and 1826–27). In other words, the 1822–27 translations are restored in their original form, as their author wanted them to be published and read: as a whole and consistent project, characterized by an identifiable moral core.

Such a rereading of these texts is made possible only thanks to the other key added value of this volume: a rigorous and exhaustive critical edition. By referring to the original manuscripts, D’Intino manages to offer the most accurate text possible, correcting also a few errors of the previous editions, and to enhance it with precious paratextual information. The translations, richly annotated, are preceded by an ample introductory section which thoroughly illustrates their historical, aesthetic and editorial causes, the topics therein, their relationship to the original Greek text, their linguistic features and their position in Leopardi’s development as a philosopher. Insightful are, for instance, D’Intino’s comments on the Frammento by Xenophon, which address the topic of the unaffectedness of literary...