Per una lettura in chiave antifascista della prima traduzione di Benito Cereno

The aim of this essay is to propose a possible oblique reading of the first Italian translation of Benito Cereno. The essay argues that, in parallel with Melville's critical method, the reader would have been positioned to inter­pret Melville's tale as a critique of the Italian society which permitted the fas­cist ascent to power. This argument is strengthened by the allusions scattered by Pavese in his translation and intro­duction of the work. Finally, a similar reading of the text is also analysed in regards to the Italian publishing trends of the Thirties and of Pavese's own work.