To see the stars again: Literary Journeys Translating Dante from Japanese into Japanese

The presentation examines the history of the translations of Dante's Divine Comedy in Japan.

The first Asian country to have a full translation from the Italian, Japan has been particularly receptive to the translation and transmission of the work of the Florentine poet, adapting it to popular culture contexts as well. After showcasing the presence of the Divine Comedy in a variety of media, the presentation discusses how a number of translations have tackled the issue of how to best transpose the poem.

In this context, it focuses on Ōe Kenzaburō's semi-autobiographical novel Natsukashii toshi he no tegami (Letters to My Nostalgic Years, 1987), arguing that it constitutes another form of translation. Including several citations and discussions from the Divine Comedy, the novel incorporates past translations of Dante, but also rewrites the poet's work in contemporary Japanese through the literary enterprise.

About the speaker

Dr Filippo Cervelli received his PhD in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford and is currently a Lecturer in Modern Japanese Literature and Popular Culture at SOAS University of London. He has written on the literature of Takahashi Gen’ichirō, Ōe Kenzaburō, Abe Kazushige, on post-Fukushima fiction, and on manga and animation.

He recently co-edited an interdisciplinary special issue on representations of nerds and loneliness.