Elio Vittorini

Italian novelist. Born in Sicily as the son of a railroad worker. Though he only had a secondary education, he read a variety of literary works from an early age. At the age of 16, he ran away from home to northern Italy, where he worked as an accountant for a construction company, an experience he describes in his collection of short stories, "The Petite Bourgeoisie" (1931). He also learned English from a printer he worked with in Florence, and read and translated a vast amount of English and American literature. From 1929, he was involved in editing the anti-fascist literary magazine "Solaria," and in 1933, he began serializing his long novel "Red Carnation" (complete edition published in 1949) in the magazine, but it was halted due to censorship by the fascist authorities. In 1936, he began work on the novel "Elijah and his Brothers" (unfinished, published in 1956), which was set in Milan and described the tragic reality of workers oppressed by the bourgeoisie during the war of aggression against Ethiopia in an allegorical style. Shocked by the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he published the novel "Conversations in Sicily" (1941). This work is full of metaphors, making full use of narrative and lyric techniques, and together with Pavese's "The Homeland" (1941), it became the starting point of neorealist literature. He also compiled translations of American literature with Montale, Cecchi, Pavese and others into the groundbreaking anthology "Americana" (1942), but this was also rejected by the authorities, and Vittorini's commentary was deleted.

In September 1943, Vittorii, who was already in prison, escaped from Milan prison when the armistice was signed, and joined the underground resistance organization until his release in April 1945. He played an important role in solidarity with the Communist Party, and wrote his long novel "Man and Non-Man" (1945) in avant-garde style, based on his intense experiences, even in the midst of the partisan struggle. Immediately after his release, he also launched the magazine "Politecnico" (1945-47) through Einaudi in response to Sartre's magazine "Les Temps Modernes" in France, and became a driving force in the cultural movement in postwar Italian society. However, he came into conflict with the Communist Party in a debate with Togliatti over politics and culture, and while he stepped back from the cultural movement, he established a stronger foothold in literature, compiled the "Jettoni Collection" (1951-59), and sent most of the important postwar writers to the world. The magazine Menabo (1959-67) and his self-selected essay collection Open Diary (1957) are basic documents for understanding him.

[Hideaki Kawashima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イタリアの小説家。シチリア島に鉄道員の子として生まれる。中等教育しか受けられなかったが早くからさまざまの文学作品を読む。16歳のとき家出をして北イタリアに移住、建設会社で会計士として働いたが、その経験は短編集『プチブルジョアジー』（1931）に描かれている。また、フィレンツェではいっしょに働いていた印刷工から英語を学び、膨大な英米文学の文献を読破、翻訳紹介も行った。1929年から反ファシズム系文芸誌の『ソラーリア』の編集に携わり、33年から同誌に長編『赤いカーネーション』（完全版1949刊）の連載を始めたが、ファシズム当局の検閲により中断。36年、長編『エリヤとその兄弟』（未完、1956刊）にとりかかり、ミラノを舞台にブルジョアジーに圧迫されたエチオピア侵略戦争下の労働者の悲惨な現実を、寓話(ぐうわ)的手法で書き進めたが、スペイン内戦の勃発(ぼっぱつ)に衝撃を受け、長編『シチリアでの会話』（1941）を発表した。これは叙事＝叙情の手法を駆使した暗喩(あんゆ)に満ちた作品で、パベーゼの『故郷』（1941）とともにネオレアリズモ文学の出発点となった。また、モンターレ、チェッキ、パベーゼらとアメリカ文学の翻訳をまとめて画期的なアンソロジー『アメリカーナ』（1942）を編んだが、これも当局に忌避され、ビットリーニの解説は削除された。

　1943年9月、すでに獄中にあったビットリーニは、休戦協定を機にミラノ刑務所を脱出、45年4月の解放まで地下抵抗組織に加わり、共産党と連帯して重要な役割を果たし、パルチザン闘争の渦中にありながら、その激しい体験を前衛的手法で、長編『人と人にあらざるもの』（1945）を書き上げた。また、解放直後にフランスにおけるサルトルの『レ・タン・モデルヌ』誌と呼応してエイナウディ社に拠(よ)り『ポリテークニコ』誌（1945～47）を発刊、戦後イタリア社会の文化運動の立役者となった。しかし、政治と文化をめぐるトリアッティとの論争で共産党と対立、文化運動から一歩退くと同時により強固な地歩を文学に置き、「ジェットーニ双書」（1951～59）を編み、戦後の重要な作家のほとんどを世に送った。『メナボ』誌（1959～67）と自選論集『公開日記』（1957）は、彼を知るための基本的文献である。

［河島英昭］

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