Luigi Rusca e i libri tradotti : Il confronto con Elio Vittorini negli anni Trenta

The paper investigates the exchanges between Elio Vittorini and Luigi Rusca in the 1930s with the aim to reconstruct their negotiations as, respectively, translator and publisher selecting modern and contemporary American and British authors for the Italian public. Rusca was not a translator, but he deeply influenced the choices made in the creation of Mondadori’s books catalog for almost twenty years. A mem- ber of the Milanese reformist bourgeoisie, Rusca consistently demonstrated a keen interest in cultural matters and actively contributed to establishing Mondadori as one of the leading Italian publishing houses for the translation and publication of foreign books, even amidst the cultural autarky pursued by the fascist regime. The correspondence with Vittorini sheds light on editorial practices encompassing the se- lection of authors and texts for translation, their placement within specific collec- tions, and the inclusion of paratexts to guide readers.

Il saggio indaga lo scambio avvenuto negli anni Trenta tra Elio Vittorini e Luigi Rusca, ricostruendo le interazioni tra le richieste del traduttore e quelle dell’editore nel proporre al pubblico italiano autori moderni e contemporanei americani e inglesi. Rusca non era un traduttore, ma per quasi vent’anni influenzò profondamente le scelte operate nella costruzione del catalogo della Mondadori. Esponente della borghesia riformista milanese, Rusca dimostrò sempre un vivo interesse per le questioni culturali e contribuì attivamente all’affermazione della Mondadori come una delle principali case editrici italiane per la traduzione di libri stranieri, nonostante l’autarchia culturale perseguita dal regime fascista. La corrispondenza con Vittorini fa luce sulle pratiche editoriali che comprendono la selezione degli autori e dei testi da tradurre, la loro collocazione all'interno di specifiche collane e l’elaborazione di paratesti per orientare i lettori. Parole chiave: Luigi Rusca, Elio Vittorini, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Editoria, Storia della traduzione in Italia. The paper investigates the exchanges between Elio Vittorini and Luigi Rusca in the 1930s with the aim to reconstruct their negotiations as, respectively, translator and publisher selecting modern and contemporary American and British authors for the Italian public. Rusca was not a translator, but he deeply influenced the choices made in the creation of Mondadori’s books catalog for almost twenty years. A member of the Milanese reformist bourgeoisie, Rusca consistently demonstrated a keen interest in cultural matters and actively contributed to establishing Mondadori as one of the leading Italian publishing houses for the translation and publication of foreign books, even amidst the cultural autarky pursued by the fascist regime. The correspondence with Vittorini sheds light on editorial practices encompassing the selection of authors and texts for translation, their placement within specific collections, and the inclusion of paratexts to guide readers. Keywords: Luigi Rusca, Elio Vittorini, Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Publishing houses, History of translation in Italy.