La réception d'André Gide dans la presse italienne (1895-1947)

This study focuses André Gide’s reception in the Italian press, starting from 1895, date of the first mention of the author’s name in a periodical, up to 1947, when he was awarded with the Nobel Prize. This long period is characterised by significant historical changes which profoundly affected the world of culture and literature in Europe and, more particularly, in Italy. Between the end of the 19th century to the second post-war period, two world conflicts, twenty years of dictatorship and a civil war led to an evolution of the Italian society, culture and literature. All these changes represent the historical background of Gide’s reception. Leading public figure and great European, Gide cultivates a preferential relationship with Italy; at first, this country is the destination of his first trips and, a short while afterward, a place of work and of dialogue with the local intelligentsia. The considerable presence of the author in the Italian newspapers and magazines reflects the importance of his works in Italy. My work consisted in two different phases. First, the researching phase, in which I gathered articles and unpublished materials to trace Gide’s presence in the Italian cultural network. Second, the analysing phase, in which I studied the whole material from a critical perspective. The two world wars mark two periods of difficulty in the cultural contacts within Europe and determine the irreversible change of the panorama of the following years. For this reason, I decided to draw up a chronological partition, based on the evolution of the receiving country. I divided my study into three periods: the first one lasts from 1895 to the end of the First World War (1918); the second one, from 1919 to 1943, covers the interwar period and the beginning of the Second World War; the third one, is from the end of fascism (1943) to 1947. Through the analysis of the Italian articles devoted to Gide, which constitute my primary corpus, I will define the critical perspective of Italian intellectuals about the French writer. At the same time, the precise definition of the author’s historical and biographical relations with Italy will be essential to draw a panorama of cross-relations: the interest of Italian intellectuals in contemporary French literature overlaps with Gide’s interest in Italian culture and literature.