A ew wo ds on he I alian ansla ion
o Příliš hlučná samo a
gaia Semina a
Sapienza Uni e si à di Roma
gaia.semina a@uni oma1.i
RÉSUMÉ
AFew Wo ds on he I alian T ansla ion o Příliš hlučná samo a
The a icle sho ly p esen s an o e iew o he wo e sions o he I alian ansla ion o Bohumil
H abal’s Příliš hlučná samo a. S a ing by aking in o accou he complex philological ques ions o
i s genesis and edi o ial o unes in i s home coun y, Iwill hen examine he I alian ansla ion by
Se gio Co duas o Einaudi (1987) and i s e ised e sion (by he same ansla o ) o he Me idi-
ani Mondado i edi ion (2003) in compa ison wi h he ex edi ed in Seb ané spisy Bohumila H abala
(1994).
KEYWORDS
Bohumil H abal; Příliš hlučná samo a; Una soli udine oppo umo osa; Se gio Co duas; ansla ions,
Einaudi edi o e; IMe idiani Mondado i; Kluby poezie; samizda .
The aim o his a icle is o syn he ically discuss some in e es ing aspec s o he I al-
ian ansla ion o Příliš hlučná samo a, i s published by Einaudi in 1987 as Una soli-
udine oppo umo osa, and e ised in Bohumil H abal’s Ope e scel e (Selec ed wo ks,
Mondado i 2003). Bo h ansla ion and e ision we e conduc ed by bohemis and
Czech li e a u e p o esso Se gio Co duas on he basis o he same Czech sou ce,
Příliš hlučná samo a, ye he wo I alian ex s ac ually di e in ways ha a ex olo-
gis would call signi ican . The 2003 Mondado i edi ion is en i ely based on he 1994
P ažská imaginace c i ical edi ion o Příliš hlučná samo a in he nin h olume o Se-
b ané spisy Bohumila H abala, while he sou ce ex o he 1987 Einaudi edi ion has
ne e been clea ly iden i ied. The e o e he pu pose o my esea ch is o explo e i in
i s con ex o o igin, keeping i s Mondado i double and SSBH as e e ence poin s, and
y o econs uc i s hypo e ical sou ce ex .
Mine is nei he an a emp o p o ide acomple e philological in es iga ion o
H abal’s (Příliš) Hlučná samo a in i s o iginal Czech o ms, no i is ap oposal o ac i -
ical in e p e a ion o he I alian ansla ion seen as apa allel cul u al p oduc o i s
au ho ’s o iginal concep ion. Such p emise is manda o y, o when speaking o H a-
bal and especially his Samo a i is pa icula ly ha d o ace ade ined ch onological
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138 SLOVO A SMYSL 29
line o he di e en a ia ions, a ian s and e sions1 o one ex , whose esul being
agene al con usion and c i ical specula ions o en based on axioma ic assump ions.
Ne e heless, Ibelie e i equally necessa y o y and ga he as much eliable in o -
ma ion as possible abou bo h he Czech and I alian con ex , in o de o con empla e
he consequen hypo eses wi hin a easonable ma gin o p obabili y. Simila ly, an
o e iew o some basic his o ical in o ma ion abou he o iginal ex is needed p io
o any a emp o analyse i s a e in I aly, since i di ec ly a ec ed he i s and mos
widely di used I alian ansla ion o ha ex . Mo eo e , i pa icula ly sui es my
pu pose, since he esea ch Ihad o do was almos en i ely o aphilological kind.
Fo hose who p e e e idence-based wo k and a e eluc an o accep in o ma-
ion i no well documen ed, H abal’s p oduc ion is asou ce o g ea dissa is ac ion.
The hec ic w i ing o aconside able numbe o ex s and a endency o e-w i e, a y
and o en dispe se hem is as much aspeci ic cha ac e o he Mo a ian au ho ’s po-
e ics om i s beginnings in he 1940s as i is aconsequence o his pe sonal his o y in
achanging poli ical con ex .
Fo my ac ual pu pose, Iam only in e es ed in he ime span co e ing he pe iod
om he i s appea ence o he ex Příliš hlučná samo a o 1987, yea o publica ion
o Co duas’ ansla ion.
The i s and undamen al ex ual e e ence and sou ce o in o ma ion abou he
ch onology o ou chosen ex is he nin h olume o Seb ané spisy Bohumila H abala:
Hlučná samo a (H abal 1994). I collec s all h ee a ia ions2 o H abal’s Samo a: he
p ose Příliš hlučná samo a opens he olume and cons i u es asec ion o i s own;
Hlučná samo a— ex p ní a iace in e se, and he p ose II. Va iace ep esen he sec-
ion Tex y p ní ad uhé a iace— p aco ní e ze. Ano e om he edi o o he olume
Milan Janko ič (H abal 1994, pp.243–257) gi es an accoun o he edi o ial p ocess,
s a ing om i s p oblema ic da ing, h ough he selec ion o one ex ual a ian
among he a leas wo exis ing o he hi d a ia ion, o he edi o ial co e ions, and
mo i a es he choice o open he olume p ecisely wi h he hi d a ia ion, ega ded
by he edi o s as he nea es o ‘ he au ho ’s willʼ,3 despi e being he las o ha e been
w i en in ch onological o de . Al hough he edi o s’ e lec ions and conclusions a e
made e iden in he i s place by he s uc u e o he olume and could be needing
u he discussion,4 wha a e c ucial cha ac e s o his edi ion in gene al and dis in-
1 Idelibe a ely quo e Susanna Ro h’s wo ds a iace, a ian a, e ze (achap e ’ i le in Ro h
1993, pp.84–91). Since i is no my in en ion he e o discuss he p eexis ing e minology
used by schola s abou linguis ic, s ylis ic, con en - ela ed elemen s in H abal’s p oduc-
ion o a ying ex s, Iwill adop e ms ha Isee bes i om a ex ological poin o iew,
o Iwill jus quo e he e ms o he au ho s used. Milan Janko ič in his edi o ial no e o
he nin h olume o SSBH uses he wo d ex almos as asynonim o a ian a, while much
mo e equen is a iace, as speci ically e e ing o he name H abal ga e o he h ee
ex s con ained in he olume’s ypew i en sou ce.
2 As he au ho de ines hem; he edi o s o SSBH adop ed he e m and used i o e e o
he h ee main di e en ex ual a ian s o Hlučná samo a.
3 ‘Rozhodli jsme se p o o iš ění ukopisu, k e ý se p okaza elně ací kpů odní au o ské
ůli […]ʼ (H abal 1994, p.244).
4 ‘Nejp e je připomenu a e ze, k e á je íce do ořená. Tep e za ni jsme zařadili e ze
“příp a né”, ač las ně nešlo p a ém slo a smyslu ožádnou příp a u, ale oces u. Ces a
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gAIA SEMINARA 139
guish i om all he o he edi ions o H abal’s ex s5 a e i s ex ological con en and
i s in e nal o ganisa ion. E e y ex is gi en acode and, as al eady men ioned, in his
pa icula ins ance he edi ing p ocess is desc ibed in de ail. This p o ides use ul
in o ma ion no only abou he ex s hemsel es— ex s ha nowadays, a e o e
wo decades om he comple ion o SSBH a e a mo e di icul o ind in hei physi-
cal and o iginal o m— bu also abou he ex s ha a e no included in ha edi ion,
and ye we e ho oughly examined and compa ed wi h one ano he . This philological
app oach gi es e e y esea che he possibili y o a leas ou line he dis inc i e ele-
men s o hose ha he edi o s o SSBH conside ed as blind alleys o hei pu pose.
As a as Iam conce ned, i cons i u es abasic suppo o my esea ch.
The sou ce o he hi d a ia ion ha Janko ič chose o publica ion is g ouped in
a ile o ypew i en ex s con aining all h ee a ia ions: Hlučná samo a. ex če enec
1976 in e se, II. Va iace and Příliš hlučná samo a. ex Če enec 1976. Apa om he
clea di e ence be ween he i s a ia ion in e se and he o he s in p ose, he
second and he hi d a ia ion a e adically di e gen as o linguis ic, s ylis ic and
con en - ela ed elemen s. While II. Va iace is w i en in ho o o á češ ina, and conse-
quen ly p esen s adi e en ph asing ha imi a es ones and pauses o he spoken
language, Příliš hlučná samo a is w i en in spiso ná češ ina, he li e a y language ha
H abal himsel called ‘úzkos li á řečʼ (H abal 1994, p.253). Abo e all he wo p osaic
a ia ions di e in he ending: in he II. Va iace he p o agonis commi s suicide, in
he hi d a ia ion he only imagines i in ad eam.
The da e o july 1976 o all h ee ex s is accep ed because auc o ial despi e be-
ing con en ional: he edi o imagines he da e o o igin o Hlučná samo a o be abou
1973–1974, as s a ed by H abal himsel , ye he assumes ha he h ee di e en a ia-
ions we en’ w i en all a once (H abal 1994, p.243). The edi o hen lis s and de-
sc ibes al e na i e e sions o ha same ex om 1976, p in ed edi ions p eceding
není p o H abala ces ou kde ini i nos i […] Je o o šem aké ces a kjis o ě náhlého p ozření.
K é o pola i ě nás při ádějí H abalo y ex y na každém k oku. Ch ěli jsme ji nějak připo-
menou i příp a ě é o edice, nese ří s opy ů čího hledání azápasu, zá o eň šak na-
bídnou č enáři bezpečnou o ien aci. Vedle s anda dního způsobu ex o é příp a y é “kla-
sické”, našem případě ú odní a iace, jsme zacho ali jis ou “nedodělanos ” příp a ných
d ou a iacíʼ (H abal 1994, p.244, emphasis mine). Ibelie e ha his exce p o e s an ex-
ample o he edi o ’s c i ical poin o iew on H abal’s h ee a ia ions. Thus, he edi o ial
no e de ia es om he hypo e ical neu ali y o aphilological job, and clea ly me ges in o
he sphe e o in e p e a ion. Asimila example esides in he edi o s’ app oach o Kluby
poezie (H abal 1994, p.246; H abal 1995, p.405).
5 Including he mos ecen ones. An example is he cu en ly unde way p ojec o H a-
bal’s Spisy published by Mladá on a and di ec ed by Jiří Pelán. In his edi o ial no e, Pe-
lán s a es ha ‘No á řada y o Seb ané spisy nenah azuje, ale ex ologicky znich [SSBH]
če pá aod olá á se na něʼ (H abal 2015, p.402); ‘Pod obnos i o ukopisech i řech e -
zích de ailně zp aco al Milan Janko ič SSBH 9. Au o ský komen ář pře iskujeme na
s.402–405ʼ (H abal 2015, p.473). Ibelie e SSBH o be he only possibile sou ce o new
edi ions o H abal’s ex , o adouble eason: on one side i o e s a aluable philological
eco d o he edi o ial wo k conduc ed on he manusc ip s (in H abal’s ins ance hey a e
always ypew i en ex s), on he o he , i o e s— sadly— he only emaining e idence
o many o H abal’s o iginal ex s.
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140 SLOVO A SMYSL 29
SSBH (Odeon 1989; Odeon— Klub č enářů 1992) and inally samizda edi ions: Ex-
pedice 1977, Popelnice 1978, K ame io a expedice 1978 and 1979, P ažská imaginace
1987,6 he i s o colla e all h ee a ia ions oge he and mos simila o he sou ce
ypew i en ex o he SSBH olume (H abal 1994, p.244). Janko ič also in o ms he
eade s abou an al e na i e e sion o he hi d a ia ion Příliš hlučná samo a, di -
e ing om he one p in ed in SSBH in some speci ic places ha acco ding o he
edi o also signal i s la e composi ion. Janko ič is con inced ha his al e na i e
e sion, ha he calls he ‘ e ze s í ěznými po kanyʼ o he ‘po kaní a ian aʼ mus
ha e been w i en jus sho ly a e he ‘ e ze s í ěznými k ysamiʼ o ‘k ysí a ian aʼ.
He explains ha he da ing his ex canno be o he han unclea , bu he hypo esis
o i s being la e han he ‘k ysí a ian aʼ (black a s winning o e b own ones) is sup-
po ed by ex e nal ci cums ances such as he di usion o ou e sions o he black
a s a ian agains only one wi h b own a s. Anyway he belie es he changes gen-
e a ed in he hi d a ia ion a e no comp omising, and conside s bo h as au hen ic
(H abal 1994, p.245).The al e na i e a ia ion’s dis inc i e elemen s a e con enien ly
desc ibed in he edi o ’s no e (H abal 1994, pp.243, 245–246) and can be summa ized
as ollows:
— Haňťa’s p ess is mechanical and no hyd aulical ( his cha ac e can be ound in
many places o he book s a ing om he i s page);
— b own a s (po kani) win o e black a s (k ysy) in he oden s wa (in he
hi d chap e );
— an exce p abou he gypsy i e is added (in he ou h chap e );
— he ending is sligh ly longe , and i doesn’ men ion he name ‘Ilonkaʼ.
Bo h exce p s o he gypsy i e and he ending a e quo ed om asamizda ex bo -
owed om Jose Zum , abou which he edi o gi es no u he in o ma ion han:
‘[…] doplňujěmě ex Příliš hlučné samo y podle samizda o ého ydání ( o má u A4
z oku 1976) zapůjčeného J.Zum emʼ (H abal 1994, p.245).
Iexcluded om my esea ch he p in ed edi ions o he hi d a ia ion as
awhole o being la e han Co duas’ ansla ion o Einaudi, and ocused on he
ypew i en sou ce ex (i.e. he p in ed ex o SSBH olume 9), i s al e na i e e -
sion, and o cou se he samizda edi ions. Nei he could Idele e om my lis o
possibili ies Kluby poezie, acollage o exce p s cu om Příliš hlučná samo a and
Něžný ba ba 7 al e na i ely and published in 1981 by Mladá on a. I shows all ou
dis inc i e elemen s o he al e na i e e sion o he hi d a ia ion in asimila ,
albei no iden ical o m. Janko ič ob iously men ions i in his edi o ial no e, bu
conside s ha ‘knižní ydání Klubů poezie […] je šak na olik celko ě nespolehli é
6 Acco ding o Ji ka Hanáko á, Edice českého samizda u, 1997, Příliš hlučná samo a was also
p in ed among he Rukopisy VBF in 1978.
7 Něžný ba ba has asimila his o y o ha o Příliš hlučná samo a. I was p obably w i en
abou 1973, hen i s ly di used as asamizda in 1974 and as ap in ed book in an exile edi-
ion in 1981 (wi hou any place o da e, bu in ac Index, Köln 1981). Only in 1990 was i
o icially published in Czechoslo akia by Odeon, P aha.
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gAIA SEMINARA 141
aničí pů odní au o ů ex ideo ými zásahy  ako é míře, že se kněmu nehodláme
ace ʼ (H abal 1994, p.246).8
Se gio Co duas ook on he endea ou o wo k on a ex wi h qui e adiso ien ing
his o y be o e i was o icially published in i s home coun y, and ac ually pa icipa ed
in he di usion and success o Czech li e a u e in I aly du ing he Eigh ies. The eac-
ion o public and c i ics o H abal’s mas e piece (one among many) was immedi-
a e— i ea ned i s au ho he Elba p ize in 1987— and Co duas’ ansla ion has been
ep in ed se e al imes up o he yea 20149 (and will p obably be ep in ed again in
he u u e).
Ye I aly was no he i s , no he only coun y o o icially publish H abal’s books
(and among hem Příliš hlučná samo a) be o e 1989, and o hus le hem sneak h ough
he cu ain o censo ship o no malised Czechoslo akia. No was he I alian ans-
la ion he only one o be a ec ed by he e en ul his o y o (Příliš) hlučná samo a.10
Max Kelle ’s F ench ansla ion Une op b uyan e soli ude11 was he i s o appea in
Wes e n Eu ope in 1983, while he English ansla ion Too loud asoli ude12 by Michael
Hen y Heim was published on he magazine C oss Cu en s in he Uni ed S a es in
1986. The e a e unce ain ies, hough, abou he ansla o s’ choices: bo h ansla-
ions seem o d aw upon mo e han one a ia ion o Hlučná samo a, e en ually mix-
ing hem and p oducing in ac ade ia ion om each o he oads hei au ho had pu
8 The edi o ial his o y o Kluby poezie is maybe e en mo e in e es ing han Samo a’s. In ha
same edi o ial no e, Janko ič s a es ha ‘při jiné příleži os i bychom aději připomněli
knižně ne ydaný s ojopis Klub poezie z oku 1978, k e ý o šem s ou o edicí přímo nesou isíʼ
(H abal 1994, p.246). Klub poezie is in ac he i le o a ex published in he 16 h olume o
SSBH in 1995, a olume ha in he wo ds o i s edi o s Ka el Dos ál and Václa Kadlec ‘obsa-
huje ex y, k e é au o ses říhal z ex ů jiných pisa elů, nejčas ěji anonymních, apřijal y o
ex y “za s é”ʼ (H abal 1995, p.401). Fu he on, in hei commen a y o Klub poezie, hey add:
‘Vznik celého ex u byl ynucen pomě y ěch le — adokumen ace oněch pomě ů je pa ně
hla ním dů odem p o zařazení Klubu poezie do komple u Spisůʼ (ibid., p.405). The edi o s e -
iden ly conside Klub poezie as amino , s ange ex o H abal’s p oduc ion, assembled à p o-
pos o publica ion (ye ne e published), and only wo h i because o i s being a es imony o
apoli ically co up ed his o ical pe iod. They belie e i s e ised and published e sion Kluby
poezie o be e en wo se. Ye he 1978 ex o Klub poezie emained and emains unpublished,
o he 16 h olume o SSBH only con ains, wi h he i le o Klub poezie, he ex o Kluby poezie.
9 An ebook e sion was also eleased in 2014. While he I alian ex in Einaudi hasn’ been
changed a all om 1987 o 2014, he g aphics o he edi ion a ied ou imes, in 1991,
1999, 2006, 2014. F om 1999, a ex o pe sonal memo ies w i en by Gio gio P essbu g-
e (who in 1992 w o e and di ec ed a hea e adap a ion o Una soli udine oppo umo osa),
Dopo H abal, una umo osa soli udine [A e H abal, aloud soli ude] opens he olume.
10 Milan Janko ič igh ully men ions he F ench, I alian, Ge man, Spanish, English ansla-
ions o Příliš hlučná samo a o be wo h a en ion, especially ega ding hei endings (H a-
bal 1994, p.246).
11 H abal, Bohumil: Une op b uyan e soli ude: oman, ansl. by Max Kelle . Robe La on ,
Pa is 1983.
12 H abal, Bohumil: Too loud asoli ude, ansl. by Michael Hen y Heim. C oss Cu en s.
AYea book o Cen al Eu ope Cul u e, 1986, n. 5, pp.278–332 <quod.lib.umich.edu/c/c ossc/
ANW0935.1986.001/290:25? gn= ull+ ex ; iew=image;q1=5++1986> [Ma ch 15 h, 2018].
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142 SLOVO A SMYSL 29
hem on— a ac o ha makes i sensibly ha de o e ace he his o y o he ans-
la ed ex . The F ench i s edi ion con ains apos ace and an analysis o he ex ual
a ian s by Susanna Ro h ha s and behind he ansla o ’s choice o use wo sou ce
ex s— he second and hi d a ia ion,— in o de o inse he nega i e ending o
he second a ia ion ( he p o agonis commi s suicide) in lieu o he hi d a ia ion
ending ( he p o agonis only d eams o commi ing suicide). The English ansla ion
appea s o be, so o say, second-hand, as i was no conduc ed on aCzech sou ce, and
p esen s he second a ia ion’s ending. I is no my in en o discuss o he ansla-
ions he e, bu he p oblems connec ed wi h he F ench and English ex s helps me
o ame he con ex in which he I alian ansla ion ook i s i s s eps. The examples
o Susanna Ro h’s commen a y and M.H.Heim’s sho p e ace o his ansla ion a e
use ul o unde s and ha behind he ansla o s’ sha p p e e ence o he sad end-
ing p obably s ood ac i icism owa ds he poli ical si ua ion o Czechoslo akia a he
ime. In he no e o he F ench ansla ion, Ro h subs an ially jus i ies Kelle ’s choice
o o e he eade s H abal’s ex in i s o iginal, uncenso ed e sion, ha she e i-
den ly belie es o be nea e o he au ho ’s o iginal concep (H abal 1983, pp.130–135),
which is an issue also discussed in he Hlučná samo a ahořké š ěs í Bohumila H abala
(Ro h 1993; Lau e Einsamkei und bi e es Glück: Zu poe ischen Wel on Bohumil H abals
P osa, 1986). Heim’s hough s a e made clea in his p e ace:
Bohumil H abal’s Too Loud aSoli ude [Příliš hlučná samo a] was w i en in he la e
70’s. In 1982 he s a e-con olled publishing house Mladá on a decided o b ing ou an
abb e ia ed e sion o i unde he i le The Poe y Clubs [Kluby poesie]. To p e en
eade s om making undesi able in e p e a ions, he edi o s emo ed all ambiguous
passages, e en he g amma ical enses we e shi ed o make he s o y appea in a ime
ame as de ached om oday as possible. In he e o o p eclude he possibili y ha
eade s would ake H abal’s s o y abou he pulping o old books as ac i ique o li e
in p esen day Czechoslo akia, he o icial p omo ion o he abb e ia ed e sion made
aspecial poin o decla ing ha i s p o agonis s ep esen ed ano he , ea lie e a when
‘li e was di e en ʼ. Only he P ague ‘Padlock Edi ionʼ issued on he ca bon copies, has
made he ull o iginal ex o H abal’s s o y a ailable o eade s. I is his ypew i en
edi ion which was used o he English ansla ion p in ed he e (H abal 1986, p.278).
Apa om he inaccu a e o missing in o ma ion abou H abal’s wo k (o maybe
jus hanks o hem), i is p esumable ha one mo i a ing o ce behind Heim’s ans-
la ion could be he same c i icism o he censo ship policies enac ed in he Czech
no malisa ion.
The I alian ex p esen s none o hese p oblems: Co duas’ i s ansla ion was
inequi ocably conduc ed on aCzech ex o he hi d a ia ion (as o cou se was i s
e ised e sion), i espec s he s uc u e and he con en o Příliš hlučná samo a, in-
cluding i s ending, i s ph asing and in e punc ion. As ega ds he Einaudi edi ion as
awhole, he ex o he hi d a ia ion, which is u nished wi h i een explana o y
no es, is ollowed by ano he H abal’s ex , Adagio lamen oso,13 and by adouble appen-
13 In 1981 H abal w o e ha he poem Adagio lamen oso concluded and comple ed Příliš hlučná
samo a. The ex is unsu p isingly he esul o ase ies o ex ual a ian s p obably w i -
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gAIA SEMINARA 143
dix: H abaliana, he ansla o ’s commen a y o he ex (da ed sep embe 7 h, 1987)
and In e is a con un Pie o inc udi o, aw i en in e iew wi h he au ho (da ed sep-
embe 14 h, 1987). The explana o y no es ha e he pu pose o in o ming he eade
abou di ec e e ences in H abal’s ex wi hou s aying om he pilla s o wes e n
knowledge: hey a e abou biblical quo es hidden in he ex low, philosophical wo ks
o ideas ha he ansla o belie ed o be undamen al mo i es o he s o y (Kan ,
Seneca). His o ical o cul u al e e ences a e a e and unc ional o an immedia e un-
de s anding: Co duas names K.H.Mácha as he g ea es Czech poe and signals ha
an I alian ansla ion o his Máj al eady exis s; he explains he ic ional cha ac e o
Kája Mařík, p o agonis o he child en books se ies, he his o ical igu e o An onín
Koniáš ( ela ed o he books bu ning du ing he eca holisa ion o Bohemia in he
18 h cen u y), he Tuzex c own, he opog aphical indica ion o he ga e o Poříčí.
Apa om he mos common ones al eady ha ing an equi alen in I alian, Co duas
chooses o lea e Czech p ope nouns, names o places and ypicali ies in hei o iginal
o m (diac i ics included): he ansla es ‘S a oměs ské náměs íʼ in ‘piazza della ci à
ecchiaʼ, bu o example lea es he o iginal ‘Ka lákʼ ins ead o ansla ing amo e
comp ehensible ‘Ka lo o náměs íʼ, wi h i s I alian equi alen ‘piazza Ca loʼ, p obably
because o he p o agonis ’s amilia i y wi h i ; pubs and a e ns names a e ans-
la ed when hey ha e aclea meaning o de i e om acommon noun, like ‘Če ný
pi o a ʼ— ‘Bi e ia ne aʼ, ‘Dolní hospodaʼ— ‘Os e ia di so oʼ. On he o he side,
in he Einaudi edi ions he pubs names de i ed om p ope nouns a e some imes
ansla ed, some imes no , in an appa en andom choice: one can ead ‘UČížkůʼ,
‘UJa olímkůʼ and a he same ime ‘Ho manʼ, ‘Hausmanʼ.
In he Mondado i edi ion, Una soli udine s ikes a i s glance because o i s posi-
ion: he ex s ands alone in he cen al pa o he ch onologically o de ed olume,
c ea ing an e iden pause a e he sec ion dedica ed o he yea s 1970–1973 and an ici-
pa ing ha p esen ing ex s om 1975–1979. As ega ds he o he ex s con ained in he
Einaudi edi ion, In e is a con un Pie o inc udi o is kep by he Me idiani edi o s and
loca ed in he second o las sec ion o he olume, which is dedica ed o in e iews,
while Adagio lamen oso closes he olume in asec ion on i s own. The ansla ion o
Příliš hlučná samo a was e ised, as al eady s a ed, ollowing he SSBH ex , ye (apa
om he di e ences ha cons i u e he co e o his con ibu ion) no adical ans-
la ological in e en ions we e conduc ed on Co duas’ ansla ion bu some mainly
conce ning he ex ’s homogenei y. Fo example, pubs names de i ed om p ope
nouns lacking an I alian equi alen a e uni o mly le in he o iginal, ye singula o m
(‘Ho manʼ, ‘Vlacho kaʼ, ‘Ja olímekʼ, ‘Čížekʼ, ‘Ho kýʼ, and ‘Ca lo IVʼ, ‘Re Venceslaoʼ, ‘Ci à
di Rokycanyʼ). Names de i ed om common nouns a e usually ansla ed: ‘Z acená
a aʼ becomes ‘Casa del Dia oloʼ [The de il’s house]. Mo eo e , he Me idiani Monda-
do i 2003 con ains asec ion o No es and In o ma ions ha Annalisa Cosen ino edi ed
abou each ex and which sho ly bu p ecisely econs uc s he documen ed his o y
o H abal’s wo ks in he olume. As ega ds Una soli udine, i o e s 30 o al anno a-
ions o he ex , ha include and ec i y Co duas’ o iginal no es, and adds e e ences o
he nume ous Lao- su quo es, geo- opog aphical cla i ica ions, his o ical in o ma ion.
en in he i s hal o he 1970s, he majo i y o which was al eady los when he edi o s
o SSBH p epa ed i s edi ion in he 8 h olume (1993).
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144 SLOVO A SMYSL 29
The ques ions and p oblems ha Co duas had o answe and o e come in ans-
la ion hus appea o be o adi e en na u e ha hose discussed, o example, by
Susanna Ro h o hin ed a by Heim in he languages hey espec i ely chose, and
p obably de i e om he ansla o ’s backg ound in he ield o I alian Czech s udies.
Una soli udine oppo umo osa was no he i s H abal’s i le o each I aly. The
I alian eade s we e in oduced o he wo ks o Bohumil H abal when Ela Ripellino
ansla ed Inze á na dům, e k e ém už nechci bydle (Inse zione pe una casa in cui non
oglio più abi a e), published in 1968 by Einaudi.14 A e ha , o he I alian ansla ions
o H abal’s wo ks we e published du ing he 1980s and ollowed Ripellino’s example
in p o iding he edi ion wi h acommen ex .15
Se gio Co duas was among Ripellino’s pupils when s udying Russian and Czech
li e a u e in Rome in he ’60s, and acqui ed some aspec s o his eache ’s s ylis ic,
his app oach o li e a y ansla ion (like he awa eness ha asound knowledge o
bo h language and cul u al-li e a y con ex is abasic equisi e o li e a y ansla-
ion), besides adeep in e es in Czech cul u e, ha became his p ima y a ge in
li e. He a elled o Czechoslo akia du ing his uni e si y yea s and a e , in 1971
ob ained an appoin men a Ca’Fosca i Uni e si y in Venice and hen he ank o
associa e p o esso . His ac i i y as a ansla o was egula du ing he 1970s and
he 1980s (he ansla ed wo ks by J.Mukařo ský, R.Kali oda, J.Hašek, J.L.Fische ,
K.Teige, L.Klíma, J.Sei e ), and he collabo a ed wi h pe iodicals, among which
was In o ma di pa ole [In he o m o wo ds], whe e he published his own ansla-
14 H abal, Bohumil: Inse zione pe una casa in cui non oglio più abi a e, ansl. by Ela Ripelli-
no, wi h an In oduc ion by Angelo Ma ia Ripellino. Ico alli, Einaudi, To ino 1968 [las
ep in 2008]. The edi ion also included an ind oduc ion essay: in his case, Angelo Ma-
ia Ripellino o e ed he unawa e I alian public an o e iew o H abal’s li e a y con-
ex wi hin his li e expe iences, o he pábi el cha ac e , which he ansla ed as sb u one
(b agga , boas e , bu he e m c ys allized as s ampa lone, aneologism in oduced
in he Me idiani Mondado i edi ion, 2003) and o some ca dinal elemen s o his poe -
ics ( he ci y o P ague, he peculia use o language, e e ences o F anz Ka ka, Ja osla
Hašek and Su ealism). Ripellino’s in oduc ion was shadowed by as ong c i icism o-
wa ds he su oca ing cul u al a mosphe e o communis Czechoslo akia, whe e H abal
had o li e and c ea e. In his opinion, ‘pábi elé wi h hei dull d eams and hei boas ul-
ness esis he bloa ed, Pangloss-like ac i is s, he champions o E e y hing-is-be e -
i -i ’s-Communis […]ʼ (H abal 1968, p.10, ansla ion mine). H abal’s wo k is hus seen
p ima ily as a eac ion o ‘ ha ime ha we hope has waned o e e , he us y u ni u e
o awo ld ha was no li e bu adump o ubbish, “ umiš ě”, he unheal hy a mosphe e
o ahaun ed house, whe e he e uses o li e anymo eʼ (H abal 1968, p.12, ansla ion
mine).
15 The only H abal’s ex ansla ed in I alian in he 1970s is Pábi elé: Vuol ede e P aga d’o o?,
ansl. by Hana Kubiš o á Casadei. Longanesi, Milano 1973. In he 80, in addi ion o Una
soli udine, also appea ed: T eni s e amen e so eglia i [Os ře sledo ané laky], ed. and
ansl. by Se gio Co duas, ill. Aleš Ji ánek, wi h he appendix H abal, e o ie e di Dio and
he in e iew wi h B.H abal L’i onia p aghese. Edizioni e/o, Roma 1982; Ho se i o il e
d’Inghil e a [Obsluho al jsem anglického k ále], ansl., ed., pos ace by Giuseppe Die na.
Edizioni e/o, Roma 1986; La onsu a [Pos řižiny], ansl., ed., pos ace by Giuseppe Die na.
Edizioni e/o, Roma 1987.
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gAIA SEMINARA 145
ions o many Czech au ho s and o en commen ed hem in peculia ex s some-
imes w i en in he o m o ale e .16
I was in ac among Co duas’ con ibu ions o ha magazine ha I ound he i s
e e ence o aplanned ansla ion o H abal’s Samo a. In he ex appended o his
ansla ion o Os ře sledo ané laky, Co duas quo ed a ew wo ds om he i s ans-
la ed page o Příliš hlučná samo a and in he ela ed anno a ion s a ed ha a ansla-
ion o ha ex w i en in 1976 and s ill un eleased in Czechoslo akia was being
p epa ed o Eli opia— In o ma di pa ole (‘Příliš hlučná samo a, inedi o, 1976, in p e-
pa azione p esso le edizioni Eli opia— In o ma di pa ole, C.P.421, Reggio Emiliaʼ,
H abal 1982, p.94). Being his i s men ion so ea ly compa ed o he ac ual publica-
ion o he book, Isea ched he magazine’s issues o asce ain whe he an I alian
ansla ion— o mo e p obably pa o i — signed by Co duas al eady exis ed. In
a leas wo issues da ing 1983 and 1984 I ound e e ence o an unde way ansla ion
o H abal’s Samo a and Adagio lamen oso o be inse ed wi h o he Czech ex s in an
an hology whose p ojec was called ‘Bohema iusʼ. A e ha , Icouldn’ ind any o he
men ion ei he o H abal’s Samo a, o o he Bohema ius. I hus supposed ha since
in 1985 he publishing house o In o ma di pa ole changed and so did i s la e p oj-
ec s, he Bohema ius was ne e comple ed.17
16 In his le e s o he au ho s whose ex s he ansla es, Co duas o en e lec s upon he di -
icul ecep ion o some aspec s o he Czech cul u e deeply bond o li e a u e and phi-
losophy: ‘Já šak s ejně nemohu zamlče , že Vám zde ozumí apo ozumí (chci říci: nějak,
zásadě) jen málo lidíʼ (Co duas, Se gio: Vladimí u Holano i. In o ma di pa ole, 1980, n. 1,
Eli opia, Reggio Emilia 1980, pp.121–127 /p.126/. Simila ly see Co duas, Se gio: Ladisla u
Klímo i. In o ma di le e a aLadisla Klíma. In o ma di pa ole, 1980, n. 2, Eli opia, Reggio
Emilia 1980, pp.193–205; Co duas, Se gio: Le e e, ammen i, labi in i. In o ma di pa ole,
1981, n. 3, Eli opia, Reggio Emilia 1981, pp.51–63 (an i onical-philosophical exchange be-
ween Co duas and his ideal p ojec ion o Jan Amos Komenský ha includes a e lec ion
on he ole o he ansla o ).
17 A ac o ha could back up his hypo hesis is ha in 1982 and 2010 Co duas p oduced wo
e y simila ex s abou he Golem, he Robo and Š ejk as bo h ep esen ing aCzech cul-
u al en i y and ha ing auni e sal cha ac e (Golem, Robo , Š ejk [1982]. In: Sbo ník p ací
ilozo ické Fakul y b něnské uni e zi y, XLIV, D 42, 1995, Masa yko a uni e zi a B ně, 1996,
pp.23–37; Golem, obo , Š ejk: jejich s ě o os ajejich českos . In: Lenka Jungmanno á
/ed./: Česká li e a u a ozh aní aok aje. UČL AV ČR— Ak opolis, P aha 2010, pp.437–444).
In he i s , olde one, I ound e e ence o aBohema ius as a1983 issue o In o ma di pa-
ole ( he e o e o u u e publica ion compa ed wi h he yea o Co duas’ essay), bu was
no able o e ie e he ex Co duas men ioned because i was no in any 1983 issue o he
pe iodical, no in any o he ollowing issue ha Icould check (up o 1985). On he o he
hand, he e e ence didn’ appea in Co duas’ 2010 ex . In his Le e a al do o Ka ka (In o -
ma di pa ole, 1983/1), Co duas says o be abou o commi himsel o he ansla ion o H a-
bal’s Samo a. In 12 poesie di Ja osla Sei e (In o ma di pa ole, 1984/3), he magazine edi o s
Rolando Guale zi and Gianni Scalia commen Co duas’ ansla ion o wel e poems by he
Nobel p ize awa d winne Ja osla Sei e men ioning he p epa a ion o a‘Bohema iusʼ
in o de o honou he Czech li e a u e and cul u e. A e ha , he only men ion o he
Bohema ius I ound on Co duas’ page o he Ca’Fosca i uni e si y websi e, as a esea ch
s ill in p og ess: <www.uni e.i /da a/pe sone/5590979/cu iculum> [ma ch 15 h, 2018].
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