Orazio nella letteratura italiana: Commentatori, traduttori, editori italiani di Quinto Orazio Flacco dal XV al XVIII secolo (review)

This elegant volume follows the printing history of Horace's works from 1465-1800. The main focus is on Italy, but also noted where appropriate are significant developments in the rest of Europe, especially parallels with or contrasts to the Italian situation. Told in five brief, densely-written chapters this hugely fascinating story deftly takes account of historical changes in many interwoven cultural phenomena (such as pedagogical and patronal relationships), and the specific differences of places and times. One constant theme (which Horace?) arises from the multiform nature of Horace's corpus: 'five' books of lyrics (as some of the editions put it), two books of satires (often expurgated before the second half of the twentieth century), two books of epistles and the Art of Poetry (also a poetic letter). In keeping with his complex generic identity Horace is also philosophically ambiguous, sometimes Stoic, sometimes Epicurean. Different periods, different places, different Horaces.

From the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, for example, the Art of Poetry was constantly reprinted, retranslated, paraphrased, excerpted, and debated. 1500-1530 saw 13 editions of this work alone (p. 45). In the sixteenth century it was central to the evolution of the European vernacular literatures (p. 51) and it was the first of Horace's works to be translated, by Ludovico Dolce in 1535 (p. 59). Its far from systematic structure led to controversies, such as that between Riccoboni and Cologno (pp. 56-57), on which see also Bernard Frischer, Shifting paradigms: new approaches to Horace's Ars poetica, Atlanta, Ga., Scholars Press, 1991. There were at least two attempts to re-order it, by Jean Louis Le Bel (1768) and Pietro Antonio Patrini (1777). The eighteenth century also saw a series of English parodies or imitations: The Art of Cookery (1709), The Art of Preaching (1735?), The Art of Architecture (1742), An Essay on the Theatres: or, the Art of Acting (1745).

One of the virtues of this book is that it facilitates the tracing of other such itineraries, such as that of musical settings. The earliest was Michele Pesenti's influential setting of Carm. 1. 22 in 1504. The best known today is probably Philidor's setting of the Carmen saeculare (London, 1779?, Paris, 1780). It is fascinating to learn that he sold the score to Catherine the Great, and that, with a French libretto, it was performed during the 'Fêtes de la Liberté' of 1798. On the other hand, interesting 'one-offs' are Egalité des hommes et des femmes, A la Reyne [Louis XIV's daughter], 1622, which includes a translation of Carm. 3. 9, and Horaz fürs Frauenzimmer oder Parodien nach dem Horaz…, 1799. In fact, it would be possible to more than fill a review with similar plums pulled out from the pudding.

Instead, I wish to draw attention to the book's methodology and thorough documentation. Much is to be learned about an author's reception by focusing on the books themselves as significant cultural objects. Accordingly, Iurilli supports the analytical chapters by an extensive descriptive catalogue keyed to it. This includes the editions referred to, not exclusively Italian. Iurilli's aim in this repertory of editions (pp. 105-84) is to provide 'un panorama editoriale, il più possibile articolato della fortuna dell'autore nello specifico contesto letterario, nel quale muove il discorso storico-critico di questo lavoro' (p. 101 n. 2). There is also a series of extremely useful indexes, which will be of great value to anyone studying the history of publishing in the period, as well as a rich bibliography (pp. 185-240). The indexes are: Indice biografico degli autori (commentatori, traduttori, parodisti, imitatori, musicisti, incisori, disegnatori) (249-90); Indice biografico degli editori e dei tipografi (pp. 291-319); Indice dei luoghi di stampa (pp. 321-26); Indice per autore delle traduzioni...