Thursday, July 31, 2014

Il Mondo Creato Progress Report

I have finished the preliminary edit of Tasso's Il Mondo Creato, Day III.  Meanwhile, Dario Rivarossa has reached a benchmark: He has finished his translation of Day VII.  That is, he has finished the preliminary translation of the entire poem. It now goes to Professor Salwa Khoddam for her enhancements (I believe she is now working on Day V).  I expect to catch up with Dario and Salwa over the next three months.  By November the book will enter the production stage, which will include bringing the front matter and introductory materials together with the poem, further editing, and then preparations for publication.  Some of my earlier reflections on this project can be read by clicking HERE.

Meanwhile, Dario will be working with Nivalis and Selkis (the three of them comprising "The Magic Trio") to produce the cover and the illustrations.  After much deliberation, soul-searching and head scratching, we have determined that the book will have about 60 illustrations. Altogether, the book will be about 400 pages long.

Dario sums up as follows:
A barbaric YAWP! The new, or rather, the only unabridged English translation of Torquato Tasso's long poem Il Mondo  Creato (1592) has just been completed -- i.e., the first draft, while the text is still in the process of being edited by Prof. Salwa  Khoddam and Prof. Carter Kaplan.

Day or Canto 7 should be of a particular interest to Paradise Lost readers and scholars insofar as Tasso "fills in the gaps" in the narrative of  Genesis (e.g. God leading Eve in front of Adam after creating her), that probably was the main source that inspired Milton for his own reworking of the Biblical text.
As to the "role" of the original sin in the "economy" of salvation, according to MC, well, it is very interesting, but it will not be revealed here

Writing thousands of footnotes on language, literature, Renaissance society, sources, and "the legacy" (especially Milton and CS Lewis) has been as exciting as translating the verses.
Now the funniest stage begins: illustrating it together with Nivalis and Selkis, the Magic Trio. The number of pics should be about 60.
The 400-page volume may be published by International Authors in -- say, next Spring?
I agree with Dario's projection for a Spring 2015 launch.  Click HERE to view his original blog post on these matters.

1 comment:

ilTassista Marino said...

For the win! Hasta la victoria siempre! And any kind of synonyms!