The Reception of La coscienza di Zeno (Italo Svevo) in the Spanish Versions of Carlos Manzano (1981–2012). Between Revision and Retranslation

Abstract

"La coscienza di Zeno", novela escrita por Italo Svevo en 1923, no se publicó en España hasta 1956. Tras el estudio de la primera versión censurada en una publicación anterior, este capítulo estudia las traducciones posteriores para lograr una visión global de la recepción que esta novela ha conocido en España. El estudio sigue una doble aproximación: textual y sociocultural. El trabajo desarrollado nos permite entender las estrategias traslativas seguidas por Carlos Manzano, cuya versión es la más difundida en España.

La coscienza di Zeno (1923), by Italo Svevo was not published in Spain until 1956. After analysing the first censored version, this chapter studies the subsequent translations to develop an overview of the reception of this novel in Spain. This research follows a dual approach: textual and sociocultural analysis. The textual analysis allows us to understand the translational strategies adopted by Carlos Manzano, whose version is the best known in Spain. This translation was subject to numerous processes of revision and re-writing, which affect the legibility of the text and its pragmatic effect. The successive re-editions and re-prints of this translation, as well as the appearance of a new Spanish version of the book, will also be analysed from a sociological-cultural perspective, in which the canon, the dynamics of the publishing market, and the book’s incorporation in the list of 20th century classics are all key elements not only to understand its publication history, but also to assess its possible presence in future catalogues.