Jorges Luis Borges and Italian Literature: a General Organic Approach
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8 Jorges Luis Borges and Italian Literature: a general organic approach Alejandro Fonseca Acosta, Ph.D. candidate Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (LLCU) McGill University, Montreal January 2018 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. © Alejandro Fonseca 2017 Table of Contents ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... 1 DEDICATION................................................................................................................... 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 8 0. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 9 1. CHAPTER 1 THE MOST ITALIAN BORGES: HIS CULTURAL AND LITERARY BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 38 1.1. WHAT TO EXPECT? .................................................................................................. 38 1.2. HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS .................................................................................... 38 1.3. BORGES’ CHILDHOOD IN PALERMO: FIRST CONTACT WITH ITALIAN POPULAR CULTURE ....................................................................................................................... 43 1.4. HIS FIRST ITALIAN READINGS .................................................................................. 47 1.5. SWITZERLAND AND ITALY....................................................................................... 50 1.6. EXPERIMENTAL CREATIVITY IN SEARCH OF A VOICE: SHIFTING BETWEEN SOCIALLY COMMITTED LITERATURE, AVANT-GARDE MOVEMENTS AGAINST FUTURISM AND FIERCE CRIOLLO IDENTITY ......................................................................................................... 54 1.7. THE CHIMERA OF A CRIOLLO NATIONAL IDENTITY AND LANGUAGE ......................... 62 1.8. PRODUCTIVELY READING DANTE: MEANINGFUL LESSONS TOWARDS A GRADUAL ACQUISITION OF A FINAL VOICE ................................................................................... 73 1.9. CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................... 95 2. CHAPTER 2 THE PRESENCE OF BORGES IN ITALY ................................... 100 2.1. AN INITIAL, NOT SO FORTUNATE, APPEARANCE IN ITALY .................................... 101 2.2. A SECOND AND PROSPEROUS STAGE OF RECEPTION IN ITALY: CROSSING PATHS WITH CALVINO ..................................................................................................................... 108 2.3. AN UNPRECEDENTEDLY UNUSUAL CASE OF POSITIVE RECEPTION IN ITALY ........ 117 2.4. ITALIAN AND INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PRIZES GIVEN TO BORGES BY ITALIANS. .................................................................................................................................... 134 2.4.1. The Watershed of Formentor ........................................................................ 137 2.4.2. The Aftermath of Formentor: Sequels and the Involvement of Politics ........ 141 2.4.3. First visit to Italy: exuberant popularity with political controversy............. 145 2.4.4. Balzan Prize .................................................................................................. 148 2.4.5. Novecento Prize ............................................................................................ 153 2.4.6. The Last and Highest Italian Homages to Borges ........................................ 157 2.5. CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................... 165 3. CHAPTER 3: THE PRESENCE AND REPERCUSSIONS OF ITALIAN LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE IN BORGES’ WORK ...................................... 169 3.1. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS TO CHAPTER 3 .......................................................... 169 3.2. BORGES’ AUTOBIOGRAPHY: THE SELF-MADE MAN ................................................ 174 3.3. BORGES AS ANTHOLOGIST, STYLIST, AND REVISIONIST ........................................ 207 3.4. BORGES’ EARLY WORKS AS AN ANTHOLOGIST ...................................................... 208 3.5. CRAFTING HIS OWN NEW STYLE AND LITERARY PATH ........................................... 215 3.6. BORGES’ CONSTANT REVISIONISM ........................................................................ 229 3.7. ANTHOLOGIES ADOPTING A LITERARY POSITION IN THE 1940S AND 50S .............. 237 3.8. THE YEARS OF THE 1960S AND 70S IN CONTRAST: ENTERING THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE WITH THE FORNENTOR. .................................................................................... 246 3.9. COLLABORATIVE ANTHOLOGIES: BORGES-RICCI .................................................. 252 3.10. BORGES AND THE CLASSICS ................................................................................ 273 3.11. LOS NUEVE ENSAYOS DANTESCOS: THE LESSONS FROM THE TEACHER .................. 277 3.12. CONCLUSIONS TO CHAPTER 3 .............................................................................. 285 4. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS .................................................................................. 258 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 300 6. APPENDICES ........................................................................................................... 314 6.1. APPENDIX 1. DIRECT REFERENCES TO DANTE ALIGHIERI IN BORGES’ WORKS. 314 6.2. APPENDIX 2 - ITALIANS CITED IN BORGES’ WORKS ............................................... 319 6.3. APPENDIX 3 - BORGES’ WORKS TRANSLATED INTO ITALIAN IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER ......................................................................................................................... 349 6.4. APPENDIX 4 - LITERARY CRITICISM IN ITALIAN (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER) ...... 362 1 Abstract Following a review of the corpus of literary critique about Borges, this thesis questions the limited space that has been given to the analysis of aspects related to Italian elements and concerns in his work, despite the fact that Dante is one of authors he studied the most in his life, he lived in an eminently Italian neighborhood, he was actively connected to networks of Italian intellectuals and received from Italians (directly or indirectly) a greater number of literary prizes than from any other country, among other things. What aspects of Italian popular culture and/or readings were absorbed in Borges’ work and which were rejected? What where the reasons for his acceptances and/or rejections and how did it vary through Borges’ different creative periods? Why did Borges have such a positive and unprecedented historical impact on a full generation of writers and scholars in Italy? How did the literary critique, reception and links with Italy affect Borges’ career and his literary production? How was Borges’ most memorable style and most praised production linked to Dante? What smokescreens or real motives have there been that have diverted the attention of critics away from these important Italian issues? This thesis aims not only to find answers to these and other fundamental questions, but also to start constructing a wide scope organic analysis about themes pertaining to Italy and Italian studies, hitherto surprisingly little explored in Borges. The first part of the thesis traces the Italian background of Borges, both of the popular culture that surrounded him in the Italian neighborhood of Palermo during his childhood and youth, as well as his Italian literary readings and changing interests at different periods of his career. The second chapter focuses on the impact that Borges had over Italy: the enormous influence he had on an entire generation of writers and the unprecedented chain of awards that Italy bestowed him. These events unusually combined the academic, cultural, political and mediatic spheres. This in turn had a quite positive, and direct impact on Borges' career. The third chapter traces the importance as well as the assimilation and applicability that certain Italian readings found in Borges' work. The prolonged study of Dante Alighieri, that started within a group including (but not limited to) Alfonso Reyes, and the stylist Amado Alonso, intervened in particular in the consolidation of Borges’ more mature style. This thesis argues from textual evidence that some of the most emblematic stylistic features of Borges originate from creative reflections on Dantesque topics or stylistic traits; that some of Borges' most recognized works were written in periods of particularly intensive study of Italian themes; that Borges was sensitive and reactive to the highly favorable Italian critique and reception, and he maintained contact and a symbiotic relationship with a specific network of Italian intellectuals. Opening up the general literary criticism to certain Italian aspects can unfold enriching and new possibilities of interpretation and research in Borgesian studies. Key-words: Jorge Luis Borges, Italian Studies, Dante Alighieri, Literary Style, Classics, Literary Awards, Italian Popular Culture, Argentine, Lunfardo. Résumé Après une revue du corpus de la critique littéraire sur Borges, cette thèse questionne l'espace limité qui a été accordé à l'analyse d’aspects liés à la culture italienne