We read chapters serially, which then became the subjects of weekly tests. Like many others in Italy, I first read Manzoni in high school. Lahiri speaks of Moore’s “epic translation” and emphasizes how Moore’s objective was “to modernise Manzoni, and thereby to render this classic work of Italian literature sprightly and contemporary.” Moore and prefaced by Pulitzer-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri.
This is the effect that Manzoni’s Italian produces.Ī new edition of The Betrothed appeared recently in American bookstores, translated and with an introduction by Michael F. Author and screenwriter Ennio Flaiano once said that when he was sad, he would turn to Manzoni’s magnum opus, which never failed to cheer him up. They are potent and clear at the same time and there is something terse about them (“the sky above Lombardy, so beautiful when it’s beautiful, so splendid, so serene”). But Manzoni’s words keep evolving, and not just because all Italians speak them, in the sense that some of his turns of phrase (“ la sventurata rispose, il coraggio uno non se lo può dare”) became idioms. True, in the twentieth century, Italian writers tried many experiments some played with words like expert jugglers. Manzoni’s words are still perhaps the liveliest ever to have been written in Italian. He did, however, succeed in putting his stamp on the history of literature and of the Italian language. As with many of his entrepreneurial ventures (he was a passionate botanist and agriculturist, undertaking experiments in his countryside mansion), the revised version was not a financial success, and he recovered only half of the invested capital. Manzoni-the sesquicentennial of his death is in May-not only painstakingly polished his own words for the revised edition but also put up his own money to publish it.
Consider the great works of theater: Doesn’t it make you feel ashamed that you don’t actually speak like that-as lucidly, precisely, or sarcastically as we could?Īlessandro Manzoni’s novel, I promessi sposi ( The Betrothed) dates first to 1825–1827, when it appeared serially in three volumes, and then to 1840–1842, during which a revised version came out in 96 installments. In the case of the written word, our spoken words often pale in comparison. It makes us aware of what can be done with words, even if most of us can’t pull it off ourselves. Sometimes language is alive, and its liveliness is something we sense when we encounter it. The Betrothed: A Novel, by Alessandro Manzoni, translated and with an introduction by Michael F.
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