Society & Culture / Literary Studies & Writing / Comparative Literature & Translation

Why Italian Poets Betrayed Masterpieces: The Art of Translation as Autobiography

Capitoli autobiografici: Poeti che traducono poeti dagli ermetici a Luciano Erba

Leonardo Manigrasso

In an age where AI translation promises perfect, frictionless communication, we're losing something vital. This video dives into Leonardo Manigrasso's groundbreaking book *Capitoli autobiografici: Poeti che traducono poeti dagli ermetici a Luciano Erba*, which reveals a hidden history of Italian poets from the 1940s to the 1970s who turned translation into a weapon of personal expression. These poets—like Mario Luzi, Vittorio Sereni, and Luciano Erba—didn't just translate French masters like Baudelaire and Rimbaud; they rewrote them, injecting their own trauma, politics, and artistic struggles into the text. Through detailed case studies, we explore how a single word like 'sleeps' could become either 'eternal rest' or 'trauma recovery,' and how syntax choices reveal a translator's soul. The book argues that the most faithful translation is often the most creative betrayal, exposing the translator's autobiography in every deviation. We contrast this passionate, human approach with today's sterile AI translations, asking: What happens when we outsource this sacred, messy act to machines? Perfect for literature lovers, aspiring translators, and anyone curious about the soul of language.