Changing Subject: The New York Literature of European Migrants, 1880-1940

A lecture by Martino Marazzi (University of Milan).

Professor Marazzi will offer a critical presentation of his most recent research, which will be a part of the forthcoming edited volume The History of New York City Literature (Cambridge University Press). The book aims at offering a new insight into the literature of New York by examining its global connections. The multilingual and multifaceted literature and written culture produced by immigrants at the height of the great exodus from Europe (in English as well as in Yiddish, Italian, German, Polish, Greek, etc.) witnesses the fascinating growth of a peculiar form of modern subjectivity, infused with gritty realism. One of its most striking peculiarities is the high degree of urban rootedness – so much so that one is tempted to refer to this new subject – well represented in the novels, poetry, and drama of the late 19th-early 20th century – as a form of “city-self”. Marazzi will also read excerpts from some of the most significant works of that era.

RSVP here.

From Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò.