CARMEN | EDIZ. SPECIALE 1986 | P. MERIMEE | SANDRO PENNA

This special 1986 edition of Prosper Mérimée’s Carmen, translated into Italian by poet Sandro Penna, belongs to the Einaudi series Writers Translated by Writers. Mérimée’s novella, first published in 1845, is a cornerstone of 19th-century French fiction, blending ethnographic observation, romantic fascination, and tragic narrative. Penna’s Italian version offers a lyrical, concise rendering that emphasizes both the musicality of the prose and the stark realism of the characters. The edition also includes critical notes and essays contextualizing the story’s themes—love, freedom, fate, and cultural otherness—that inspired Bizet’s opera. As a literary object, it represents not only a meeting between French realism and Italian poetry, but also a significant example of how translation as interpretation reshapes canonical works for new audiences.