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The Betrothed – Dr. Michael F. Moore presents a Masterpiece of Italian Literature
September 22, 2023 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Betrothed : A masterpiece of 19th century Italian literature rediscovered. | A web talk by Dr. Michael F. Moore
The Dante Alighieri Society of BC, in collaboration with the Dante Alighieri Society of Ottawa, invites you to discover all that is important to know about Alessandro Manzoni’s I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed, Modern Library, 2022). Originally published in 1827, the most famous historical novel in the Italian language is a work of foundational Italian literature on par with Dante’s Divine Comedy and Boccaccio’s The Decameron.
Dr. Michael F. Moore’s new translation of The Betrothed brings to life Manzoni’s timeless literary masterpiece.
About the book:
The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) is a cornerstone of Italian culture, language and literature. Published in its final form in 1842, it inspired generations of Italians. Giuseppe Verdi composed his majestic Requiem Mass in honor of Manzoni. Italo Calvino called the novel “a classic that has never ceased shaping reality in Italy” while Umberto Eco praised its author as a “most subtle critic and analyst of languages.” The Betrothed has been celebrated by Primo Levi and Natalia Ginzburg, and is one of Pope Francis’s favorite books. But, until now, it has remained relatively unknown to English readers.
About the speaker:
Dr. Michael F. Moore‘s translations range across genres, from modern classics to contemporary fiction and non-fiction, including most recently: The Drowned and the Saved, by Primo Levi; Agostino, by Alberto Moravia; Quiet Chaos, by Sandro Veronesi; and Live Bait, by Fabio Genovesi. He is currently working on a new translation of Moravia’s short story collection, Rome Tales.
For many years Michael served as the chair of the PEN Translation Committee and, subsequently, as the Chair of the Advisory Board of the PEN/Heim Translation Grant. Recognition of his work includes an NEA Translation Grant, the first translator-in-residence at Princeton University, and a fellowship at the Rockefeller Center in Bellagio, Italy.
He has conducted literary translation workshops at the Columbia University School of the Arts and at Literature House Ireland, as well as courses in Italian language and literature at Bard College, Hunter College, and New York University.
He received his Ph.D in Italian Studies from New York University, with a thesis on Petrarch commentaries in the fifteenth century.
This event is organized with the support of the Dante Alighieri Society of Rome.
Click here to RSVP.
Click here for more about Dr. Moore’s translation.