ANNA MARIA ORTESE: A TESTIMONY OF TIME Luisa Cordaro A thesis subrnitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Itaîian Studies University of Toronto O Copyright by Luisa Cordaro 1999 National tibrary BiMÏtheque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliogmphic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Weilington OüawaON K1AW OltawaûN K1AON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distriiute or seU reproduire, prêter, distri'buer ou copies of this thesis in rnicroform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS Anna Maria Ortese: A Testimony of Tirne Doctor of Philosophy 1999 Luisa Cordaro Department of Italian Studies University of Toronto Thesis Director: Professor Rocco Capoui This dissertation is an analysis of Anna Maria Ortese's themes and styliaic evolution. The purpose of this thematic study is to give a stnicture to Ortese's works and to provide unifying categories that reflect three distinct phases in her Iiterary career. This chronological method also allows one to appreciate the progression in her works and the socio-historic value in them. The first chapter provides the environment in which Ortese's literary career began. The tragic death of Onese's brother was what led to her need to release her pain through literature. This is also a penod between the two world wars ruled by Benito Mussolini and the Fascist movement. The time period may have contributed to the author's themes of escape and wishfùl adventure. Her way of depicting autobiographical situations through a magical perspective Ied to Massimo BontempeIli's interea in her writings since it reminded him of his own magic realism. The second chapter discusses another phase in Ortese's writings which arose afier the second world war. Dunng this time, her works took on a rebellious, berating tme and her themes dealt with the poor socio-econornic conditions of Naples. This was the Neorealist period when many cinematographers as well as writers such as ûrtese were inspired to talk about the horrific imprints left behind by the war. During Chtese's 1st literary phase, her style changed to more of a fintastic one, while remaining true to her mission of exposing socieîy's ills. Chapter threé analyzes the purpose of Ortese's use of the fantastic and how she used it to accomplish her mission. It is hoped that this dissertation wiil offer a new point of view on Ortese's works and a renewed sense of appreciation for an author who has been misundmtood. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction a. Ortese's biographical data b. The critics and Anna Maria Ortese. c. Outline of Ortese's three literary phases. d. Onese's vision of the world. II. Chapter One - Portrayal of Enchantment and Escapism Throughout Years of Self- Discovery 1937- 1950. a. Angelici dolori: hope and escapism. b. Personfications of inanimate objects c. L 'Infntu sepolo: Development of empathy and rebeilion against silence and submission during the years 1945- 1950. III. Chapter Two - Ortese's Realistic Portrayal 1950-1 958. a. "II mare di Napoli", "Gli ombra" and II mure non bagna Nipli: Realinic socio-environmental criticisms of Naples and Neapolitans. b. Milan: the antithesis of hope. IV. Chapter Three - Between Protest ans Meditation: The Moral Purpose of Literature 1950's-1996. a. Esivi temuri and L 'Igu~ll~:Ortese's response to her time. b. Ln luna NI mur0 and L 'alone piHo: depictions of the three sins of society. c. In sonno e in veglicl: Meditative dreams. d. I! cardiI10 uddooruto and Alonso e i visionmi: simple messages amid the complex dramas. V. Conclusion - Corpo celeste - Ortese's Mission as a Writer Until the End -1 997 INTRODUCTION A. Ortese 's biographical &ta Anna Maria Ortese was bom in Rome on June 13, 19 14. Her father, Oreste, was born in Sicily, and her mother, Beatrice, in Naples. She was the second to last child of six siblings. Financially, they were quite strained because of the sue of the family and because of the unstable war penod in which they iived. Her father had a modest paying job in a state finance office. Unfortunately, before long he had to leave to fight on the front line in World War 1 and did not return until four years later, when peace was finally established. Meanwhile, Anna Maria and the rea of her fdywere moving from Puglia to the suburbs of Naples in econornic misery. Since the end of the war until 1924 her family had moved to Potenza where her father had regained his modest position in the aate financial ofice. In 1924, the Ortese family moved to Tripoli, Libia where the father retains the sarne aate position and where he and his farnily were given a piece of land on which to build their home. This is the only consistent scholastic penod in ûrtese's Sie where she attends the elementary school with regularity. But, the consistency was short lived because in 1928, they were forced to rnove back to Italy. They resettled in a low-income area of Naples. Here, Onese registered for the fia year of a trade school but did not fiequent courses with good intention. She therefore abandoned her erratic studies for good. It was around this penod that her literaiy passion began to surface. She read classics by authon such as Edgar Man Poe, Katherine Mansfield. and Emily Bronte who sparked an interest in literary expression that she did not hdan outlet for until the homble tragedy of her brother Manuele's death- Manuele was kilied in combat while at sea in the far away island of Martinique in 1932. AAer a period of silence, she found the wed to put into words her desperate. silent torture. From this pain, three poems were conceived, one of which was entitled "Manuele". These were published in Lu Fiera Leneraria in 1933. One year later, in 1934, the shon story, bbPellerossa,"was published in this same joumal. This story was later included in her fmt collection of short aones Angelici doiori (1 93 7) . By 1937 another of her brothers, Antonio, was also kilied at war in Albania which added to her pain. In Angelici domOnese included aones about dreams she had shed with both brothers and about their abrupt deaths. For Angelici dolori she won a monetary prize which was very important for the young author considenng her family 's financial aruggle. The outbreak and the bombings of the second world war in 1940, further devastated the Ortese fmily as they witnessed the destruction of tïieir home. At this point the family decided to temporarily leave Naples. They resided with famüy fiiends in miserable conditions in the regions of Lazio and then in Veneto. In 1945, when the war ended. the Onese farnily transferred back to Naples. They moved f?om home to home and found thernselves in very desperate economic situations. The shon story "Un paio di occhiali" in Ii mare non bapu N@i (1953) retlects one of the living enviromnents in which the family lived. Giancarlo Bom states that the intemal living quarters described in "Un paio di occhiali" refiea the actuai living conditions of the Ortese family until 1948: Le condirioni morali ed econorniche di vita sono pero' sempre disastrose e per qualche anno gh Onese sono costretti a cambiare diverse volte alloggio. Il sordido intemo dedonella novella Un paio di occhiaii (inII mare non bopu Nqli, 1953) rispecchia fedelmente I'abitazione-portinena del caseggiato dove abitano gli Ortese sino al 1948.' Later, Anna began a sporadic joumalistic career working for very important newspapers and magazines such as: Ii Mondo and L 'Eutopeo. Her love for literary creation was never abandoned and in 1950 her second collection of short stones, L 'Infcmta seplta was published. Ortese's mother passed away in 1951, inflicthg more sadness to her life. She won the Premio Saint Vincent in 1952 for journalism. She won the prestigious Premio Viareggio for a collection of short stories of a Neorealkt tendency, Il rnare no)? bugna Nopol, published in 1953. Then, with that same year, the death of her father and the criticism caused by II mure, compelled her to lave Naples for good and move to Milan. In 1958 she published a book entitled Szlenzio a Milmo which is a collection of joumalistic style aones describing certain disillusioning environments of the industrial city. In other words. Milan which was supposed to be symbolic of hope and success was ponrayed by Ortese as a city of moral and economic poverty as well. In 1959, Anna Maria Ortese and her sister moved to Rome. It was dunng this time that she began to wrîte the manuscript of the novel Poveri e semplic( that would not get published until 1967. In 1963 she wrote L 'I'mm which did not get published until 1965. This was moa certainly a book of transition as she breaks away fiom the redistic tone and moves toward a fantastic style.