The image of Sardinia in the first translations of the novel “Canne al vento” by Grazia Deledda into French and Polish

Abstract

The article deals with the first translations of Grazia Deledda’s novel Canne al vento (1913) into French and Polish (Des roseaux sous le vent, 1919; Trzcina na wietrze, 1934). They are compared with the original in order to examine the procedures by which the image of Sardinia inscribed in the original work was rendered or distorted. The culture-specific items taken into consideration represent several cultural fields (religion and beliefs, constructions, rural spaces, gastronomy, games, legendary creatures). The peritexts were also considered in order to observe to what extent they participate in the (re)creation of the image of Sardinia. The analysis shows that the French translation (by Marc Hélys) offers more contact with the different aspects of Sardinian culture than the Polish one (by Ida Ratinowowa). It is therefore the former that better fulfils the programme of “telling Sardinia to the world,” conceived by the Italian writer.