Un entomologo in India: l’orientalismo consapevole di Guido Gozzano

Abstract

This article analyzes Guido Gozzano’s collection of Indian letters, Verso la cuna del mondo (Towards the Cradle of Mankind, 1917). After taking a position in the recent debate concerning the authorial standing of the book, the essay demonstrates the exceptionality of Gozzano’s case within the genre of Orientalism writing. Thanks to his ironic mode, the poet is able to develop an early awareness of Orientalist tópoi, and succeeds in manipulating them according to his own expressive needs.