The Ends of an Empire: Pier Antonio Quarantotti Gambini’s Il cavallo Tripoli and Joseph Roth’s Radetzkymarsch

Italian Triestine literature tends to be seen as somewhat foreign to the Italian literary tradition and linguistically outside of Austrian (or Austro-Hungarian) literature. Instead of leaving it as “neither nor,” viewing it as “both and” can help shape the critical view of the Italian literary landscape, as well as add to the picture of Austro-Hungarian literature. Joseph Roth’s Radetzkymarsch (Radetzky March) and Pier Antonio Quarantotti Gambini’s novel Il cavallo Tripoli (The Horse Tripoli) depict the experience of loss brought on by the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in similar ways, although they do so from different linguistic and national sides. However, the writings of the Italian author are generally categorized as representing a pro-Italian perspective and those of the Austrian as pro-Austro-Hungarian. This article argues that their novels provide a more nuanced portrayal of the world and identities than just their nationalities or political views do. Because of assumptions about the authors, the complexity of the novels’ representations of layered linguistic and cultural interactions have often been missed, especially those of Il cavallo Tripoli. This comparison provides a case of how engaging Austro-Hungarian work can benefit the critical understanding of Italian literature.