Book review: Angelo Spina, Le lettere di Angelica: romanzo epistolare/ibrido

Abstract

Francesca Melandri’s Eva Sleeps, and Hans von Trotha’s Pollak’s Arm, have also appeared and been translated into English. The translation of Stuparich’s stories is part of an increased scholarly and popular interest in borders, particularly those between Italy and Austria, and their literatures. The brief preface roots Charles Klopp and Melinda Nelson in a history of people from outside Italy or Austria who are fascinated by Trieste, a list that ranges from James Joyce to Jan Morris to Veit Heinichen. Klopp’s introduction provides clear and comprehensive context for understanding Stuparich’s engaging stories and ends by mentioning that “One Year of School” has already been translated into French, Croatian, German, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, and Dutch. Translations into English often lag behind others. With their careful and fluid prose, Klopp and Nelson bring Stuparich’s Triestine views of Europe and early 20th-century life to an anglophone audience. The work should interest both scholars of Trieste and broader readers of fiction, especially literature from borderlands.