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Abstract:

This article examines the history of the creation and publication of M. Prishvin's novella "Ginseng" in 1979 by the translator Gigliola Venturi (1943-1990) for the Milanese publishing house Adelphi. Prischvin's novella is examined through the prism of social and cultural life in Milan in the 1960s and 1980s and through the history of the publishing house and the biography of Mrs. Venturi. The main motifs that aroused the interest of the Milanese public and the publisher Luciano Foa in the work "Gin- seng" were the post-Maoist ressentiment and interest in Chinese culture, the emergence of an environmental agenda and the growing interest in animal rights, the massive support for feminism through the activities of the "National Union of Women" (L'Unione femminile nazionale, 1899, Milan), of which Mrs. Venturi was a member. The idea of translating Prishvin's novella arose after the completion of the translation of Chingiz Aitmatov's "White Steamer," 1970 (Il battello bianco, 1972, Milano, De Donato), due to the oppressive feeling of the translator of the end of Aitmatov and to re-enter the enchanting world at the crossroads of Central Asia and China. The reception of Prishvin's work in Northern Italy shows how important it is for the author to adapt to a current agenda, to be able to formulate ideas in the form of lasting trends beyond national borders.