Journal of Italian Translation

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Journal of Italian Translation
logue”) describes the history of the composition of the famous De voluptate
and its “ideological dissidence” (p. 172).
In this volume, Fubini not only shows his encyclopedic knowledge,
but he also distinguishes himself for the profound analysis of the complex
cultural phenomenon that was Humanism, and provides us with an important
lesson of critical methodology.
The translation is very clear and precise despite the complexity of
the original characterized by an evident preference for digressions as well
as for long and articulated sentences. It is noteworthy that all the quotations
have been translated into English (while instead, in the original edition,
they remain in Latin). Thanks to this precious translation (enriched
also by numerous bibliographical updates), Fubini’s fascinating and seminal
work is now available for a broader public, and not restricted to Italian
readers. Moreover, it is unfortunate that the English edition does not
reproduce exactly the Italian volume in which there are several chapters
and appendixes that have not been translated. For the sake of precision,
the missing chapters are as follows: the section entitled “La coscienza del
latino. Postscriptum”, in which Fubini wrote a fundamental discussion of
Mirko Tavoni’s volume, Latino, grammatica, volgare. Storia di una questione,
(1984); the chapter “Tra umanesimo e concili. L’epistolario di Francesco
Pizolpasso” and the “Appendice” in which Fubini published important
letters between the humanists Pier Candido Decembrio and Nicola di
Acciapaccia; a very short “Appendice” to the aforementioned chapter “The
Theater of the World in the Moral and Historical Thought of Poggio
Bracciolini” in which an unpublished version of Poggio’s proem to the
Istorie fiorentine is presented; lastly, the chapter “L’orazione di Poggio
Bracciolini a Costanza sui vizi del clero (1917). Premessa e testo”.
I hope that this book will be followed by translations of other essays
published in Italy and yet still little known in America beyond a restricted
group of specialists. I am not only thinking about the other fundamental
volumes by Riccardo Fubini (Italia quattrocentesca. Politica e diplomazia
nell’età di Lorenzo il Magnifico, Milano 1994; L’umanesimo italiano e i suoi
storici. Origini rinascimentali-critica moderna, Milano 2001; Storiografia
dell’Umanesimo in Italia da Leonardo Bruni ad Annio da Viterbo, Roma 2003),
but am also referring to the groundbreaking studies of Italian scholars
such as Mario Martelli (Angelo Poliziano. Storia e metastoria, Lecce, 1995 e
Letteratua fiorentina del Quattrocento. Il filtro degli anni sessanta, Firenze, 1996),
and Francesco Bausi (Machiavelli, Roma, 2005).
ALESSANDRO POLCRI
Fordham University
1. During this period of time, Fubini also published the editions of Voltaire’s
works (1964) and Poggio Bracciolini’s writings (1964-69). He also edited the first
two volumes of the monumental edition of the epistolary of Lorenzo deí Medici
(1977)..