Contemporary Women Writers in Italy : A Modern Renaissance

Despite the range and high quality of their work, Italian women writers have received scant attention from critics, in Italy or elsewhere. All too often, their contributions have gone unrecognized. This collection demonstrates the importance of these writers to the literary world and seeks to bring them the critical attention they deserve. Twelve scholars and literary critics examine some of the best prose produced in recent years by Italian women in a variety of genres, including fiction, journalism, and biography.Among the writers discussed are Anna Banti, Camilla Cederna, Fausta Cialente, Oriana Fallaci, Natalia Ginzburg, Armanda Guiducci, Gina Lagorio, Gianna Manzini, Dacia Maraini, Elsa Morante, Lalla Romano, and Francesca Sanvitale.The topics they address range from love, disillusionment, friendship, and family life to artistic vision and the journalistic novel, to political activism, the condition of women in Italy, and the impact of feminism on Italian culture. Although some of the writers discussed describe themselves as feminists, others do not. Similarly, the contributors to the volume represent a spectrum of critical and political perspectives. What emerges is a series of portraits that reflect the variety, dynamism, and creativity of women writers in modern-day Italy. Elsa Morante : The Trauma Of Possessive Love And Disillusionment / Rocco Capozzi -- A Lexicon For Both Sexes : Natalia Ginzburg And The Family Saga / Corinna Del Greco Lobner -- History, Art, And Fiction In Anna Banti's Artemisia / Deborah Heller -- Memory And Time In Lalla Romano's Novels, La Penombra Che Abbiamo Attraversato And Le Parole Tra Noi Leggere / Flavia Brizio -- Gina Lagorio And The Courage Of Women / Mark F. Pietralunga -- Gianna Manzini's Poetics Of Verbal Visualization / Giovanna Miceli-jeffries -- Autobiography, Art, And History In Fausta Cialente's Fiction / Paola Malpezzi Price -- Francesca Sanvitale's Madre E Figlia : From Self-reflection To Self-invention / Paola Blelloch -- Dacia Maraini's Donna In Guerra : Victory Or Defeat? / Anthony J. Tamburri. Armanda Guiducci's Disposable Women / Fiora A. Bassanese -- Oriana Fallaci's Journalistic Novel : Niente E Così Sia / Santo L. Aricò -- Camilla Cederna : Portrayer Of Italian Society / Giovanna Bellesia -- From Margins To Mainstream : Some Perspectives On Women And Literature In Italy In The 1980s / Carol M. Lazzaro-weis. Edited By Santo L. Aricò. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 219-236). This collection aims to demonstrate the importance of Italian women writers to the literary world and seeks to bring them the critical attention they deserve. Twelve scholars and critics examine some of the best prose produced in recent years by Italian women.