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Books on Utopia Published in Italy in 2016 and During the First Semester of 2017

2017; Penn State University Press; Volume: 28; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5325/utopianstudies.28.3.0637

2154-9648

Jaqueline Pierazzo,

Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices

On December 29, 1886, in Florence, Pope Leo XIII beatified Thomas More together with other English martyrs from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The canonization happened on May 19, 1935, conducted by Pope Pius XI at Vatican City. On October 31, 2000, also at Vatican City, Pope John Paul II proclaimed Thomas More “the heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians,” praising him for being capable of conciliating the natural and the supernatural. Perhaps it is exactly this capacity of amalgamating the natural and supernatural that made it possible for More to create not only an entirely innovative book but also an entirely new literary form. However, the connection between More and Italy goes beyond the religious sphere and the fact that the author chose to write his masterpiece in the language of the Roman Empire. Thomas More can be regarded as one of the most notorious Renaissance humanists, and Utopia is itself a book usually regarded through its relationship with Italian humanistic ideals.Bearing this context in mind, the variety of works regarding Utopia published in Italy is not surprising, especially after the celebration of five hundred years since the first publication of Thomas More's book. Throughout the year 2016, forty-four books were published, while twenty-two titles were printed in the first part of 2017. These numbers were found by researching the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle Biblioteche Italiane e per le Informazioni Bibliografiche (which is a general catalog that encompasses the different catalogs of national libraries throughout Italy).Curiously, some of the most important centers of Renaissance humanism—Rome, Naples, and even Florence—reappear now, centuries later, as some of the most active places for the publication of utopian works. However, it is a publishing house from Milan that stands out with the highest number of publications in the field of utopian studies: Franco Angeli. Indeed, Milan emerges as the city with the greatest amount of titles published, with seventeen in total, followed by Rome, with fourteen publications. Other places worth highlighting are Naples and the region of Tuscany, especially Florence and Pisa. On the other hand, of all the books that appeared throughout the year 2016 and the first semester of 2017, only one came from a university press: Eduardo Grillo's Post War Dream(s): L'Informale e l'Utopia della Comunicazione (Postwar Dream[s]: Informalism and the Utopia of Communication),1 published by Morlacchi University Press in Perugia.The diversity of the works published regarding Utopia in general is worth highlighting. From romance and poetry to comics, from art catalogs to coloring books (Utopia is the ideal city to color, after all),2 from short articles to voluminous books, Utopia was referred to in many different ways. For this review in particular, fictional works were not considered, but it is necessary to call attention to two new editions of More's Utopia published in 2016. The first one was edited by Francesco Ghia, a professor of philosophy at the University of Trento, and translated by Lia Guardini,3 whereas the second one was edited and translated by Ugo Dotti, who also wrote an interesting introduction to the edition.4 Apart from these publications, only two more books about Thomas More were published in this period of time: a translation of Jack H. Hexter's More's Utopia: The Biography of an Idea from 1952 and Luca Mori's Utopie di Bambini: Il Mondo Rifatto dall'Infanzia (Children's Utopias: The World Re-created from Its Infancy).5 This was, in fact, a surprise, since we would expect more books about Thomas More on the anniversary of his pièce de résistance, especially at the birthplace of the Renaissance. Nevertheless, even if these books do not deal directly with More's Utopia, they seem to bear the five hundred years since its publication constantly in mind.In order to organize and better understand the context of the publications regarding Utopia in Italy, the titles were divided into thirteen main groups, the preeminent ones being the one on politics, with eighteen books; the one containing publications about art, with eleven titles; the one about authors regarded as utopians and the one about architecture, with seven entries each; and the group encompassing six books about religion. Other groups are literary Utopianism, citizenship, utopian communities, technologies and globalization, theory of Utopia, and Utopia and food. Even though some books could be categorized into more than one group, this division takes into consideration the prevalent topic of each publication, the background of the author, and the topic most closely related to Utopia. For instance, Massimiliano Nicoletti's L'Utopia Cristiana d'un Socialismo Ideale (The Christian Utopia of an Ideal Socialism)6 could be identified with both the politics group and the religion group. The option for the last one took into account the prevalence of the topic of religion throughout the book, emphasized even by its cover. It was also based on the fact that the subject more closely related to Utopia was Christianity and not politics.Since the works about Thomas More were already mentioned, I will start by contemplating this group. As the first of the two nonfiction titles regarded the translation of a book already well known within utopian studies in general and Italian utopian studies in particular (it should in fact be noted that this was not the first Italian translation of Hexter's book),7 I jump directly to the second publication, this time an original: Luca Mori's Utopie di Bambini.Mori's book was based on groundbreaking research and a series of thought-provoking talks with children from ages five to eleven over the course of ten years. The research culminated in a yearlong voyage throughout Italy during the academic year of 2015/2016 in celebration of the anniversary of Thomas More's Utopia. Bearing in mind the important role played by children in the city described by Plato in The Republic,8 Mori re-creates More's island through the imagination of children, considering, among other aspects, the landscapes, the modes of education, the forms of government, and the laws and punishments that the inhabitants of the island are subjected to. However, one of the most praiseworthy aspects of Luca Mori's book is that he brings More's Utopia into the context of childhood by talking with children about the roles played by adults on the island. Also, the Italian researcher brings Utopia to the present day by adding new elements to it, for example, the use of technology and one of the most discussed and problematic questions of our times, especially regarding the European context: the question of frontiers and foreigners or refugees. Still more praiseworthy is the fact that Mori brings utopian studies and complex political and social questions into conversation with children, who, to translate the words used by Alfonso Maurizio Iacono in the preface of the book, are capable of creating utopias “too harmonic, too correct, and too peaceful.”9The next and largest group is related to politics. Bearing in mind the political context on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean during the years 2016 and 2017 so far, it was not surprising that politics was the most discussed theme in utopian works. Furthermore, despite the fact that utopian studies arose out of the literary field, political changes are still one of its main concerns. Regarding the Italian context, it is possible to note a great number of political scientists, as well as social scientists, and even politicians themselves as the main researchers and subjects of research within the field of utopian studies. This is the case, for instance, with one of the most important Italian utopian scholars, Luigi Firpo, who taught the history of political thought at the University of Turin and was himself a member of the Italian Republican Party. Even the aforementioned canonization of Thomas More at Vatican City may have happened, at least partially, for political reasons: to send a message to German Catholics to resist Hitler's regime. Although there is a lack of concrete evidence supporting this idea, the timing of the canonization (one year after Hitler's ascent to power) and the fact that Saint Thomas More is the patron of the Katholische Junge Gemeinde, a German Catholic youth organization that was forbidden during the Nazi regime, do indeed contribute to the association of Thomas More's canonization with political aspects. On the other hand, the connection between More himself and politics speaks for itself.Within this group, most books deal with a more general perspective on political change or with social changes that are, in fact, political. In this context, Stefano Rodotà's Solidarietà: Un'Utopia Necessaria (Solidarity: A Necessary Utopia),10 first published in 2014, supports the idea that solidarity, a principle mentioned in many constitutions, is essential to the continuity of democracy, whereas Carlo Bordoni's Uguaglianza: Crisi di un'Utopia Moderna (Equality: The Crisis of a Modern Utopia)11 considers economic inequality as one of the missed opportunities of democracy. Another significant number of titles consider the relation between politics and Utopia in the works or lives of specific personalities, such as the Irishman Bobby Sands and the Italian Adriano Olivetti. A smaller part of the books in this group is related to politics in the context of a specific place. L'Utopia della Realtà (Utopia of Reality),12 first published in 2005, for instance, deals with the Italian context. This book gathers some of the most important texts written by Franco Basaglia, as selected and edited by his wife, Franca Ongaro Basaglia, giving a glimpse into the thought of this extraordinary Italian psychiatrist, whose engaging work inspired the promulgation of the so-called Law Basaglia in 1978 (law number 180/1978). Through his works, Franco Basaglia proposed a psychiatric reform in Italy that dramatically changed the way mental health is perceived and treated in his country. On the other hand, two other books deal with the relation between Soviet Russia and Utopia: L'Utopia Paternalistica Sovietica e la Realtà delle Etnie: Ceceni e Ingusci nell'Esilio Staliniano e Dopo (Soviet Paternalistic Utopia and Ethnic Reality: Chechens and Ingush During and After the Stalinist Exile), by Francesco Benvenuti, Vladimir Kozlov, and Marina Kozlova,13 and L'Utopia e il Terrore: Mosca 1937 (Terror and Utopia: Moscow in 1937), a translation of Karl Schlōgel's book.14The group with the second-largest number of books is the one about art. Throughout the year 2016 and the first semester of 2017, Italy held a significant number of art exhibitions regarding Utopia, which, in turn generated an equally significant amount of art catalogs. Some of these catalogs were not published in Italy and were therefore not considered within the scope of this review. This was the case, for instance, for the catalog regarding the exhibition Accessing Utopia presented at the Venice Biennale 2017 but published in Stockholm.15 Among the catalogs printed in Italy, it is possible to find exhibitions regarding visual arts, photography, and theater as well as exhibitions about the works of specific artists. Beatrice Buscaroli's Utopia e Progetto: Sguardi sulla Scultura del Novecento (Utopia and Design: A Look at Twentieth-Century Sculpture)16 follows the exhibition curated by Mauro Stefanini presented at the Prato Open Art Gallery, which concerned itself with twentieth-century Italian sculpture. On the other hand, titles such as Piranesi: La Fabbrica dell'Utopia (Piranesi: The Utopia Factory), by Luigi Ficacci and Simonetta Tozzi,17 and The Concrete Utopia: Ivan Picelj and New Tendencies 1961–1973, edited by Ilaria Bignotti,18 consider the works of the Italian Giovanni Battista Piranesi and the Croatian Ivan Picelj.Besides books and catalogs related to art exhibitions, it is possible to find titles that were published on their own, thus revealing the connection between art and Utopia. For instance, Franco Russoli's Senza Utopia non si Fa la Realtà: Scritti sul Museo (Without Utopia There Is No Reality: Writings About the Museum), edited by Erica Bernard,19 gathers the writings of the Italian art critic regarding the creation of a museum in Milan, the Grande Brera, that would be not only a place for the preservation of artistic heritage but also a central space within the community, a laboratory of ideas, an indispensable element of social life.The groups concerning works on architecture and works on authors regarded as utopians both have the same number of titles: seven each. Considering the group about architecture, it is even possible to find a tourist guide promising a complete handbook on the baroque Utopia of Sicily.20 Curiously, in this group all seven titles regard Italian architecture, and any consideration of foreign contexts assumes a more secondary place. Here, the volumes contemplate cities such as Bologna in Le Bologne Possibili (The Possible Bolognas),21 Milan in Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Milano Porta Volta: Luogo dell'Utopia Possibile (Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Milano Porta Volta Foundation: A Place of Possible Utopias),22 and Naples in Napoli all'Alba del Novecento tra Utopia Urbana e Architettura della Modernità (Naples at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century Between Urban Utopia and Modern Architecture).23 Even when works such as Utopia e Teoria: Dalle Neoavanguardie alla Contemporaneità (Utopia and Theory: From Neo-avant-garde to Contemporaneity)24 and Borgate: L'Utopia Razional-Popolare (Villages: The Rational and Popular Utopia)25 seem to open up discussion to a broader context, the focus still remains on Italian architecture. One cannot help but think that if, on the one hand, the significant number of works concerning Italian architecture emphasizes the importance of the consideration of architectural aspects when thinking about Utopia, on the other hand, the absence of a publication regarding foreign architecture reveals not only the importance of the relation between architecture and Utopia but also the relevance of Italian architecture in the construction (or the imagination) of possible utopias.In relation to authors regarded as utopians, I considered not only works regarding utopian writers but also books about authors that discussed Utopia to a greater or lesser degree. I also considered works about personalities who, though not writers in a strict sense, wrote a significant amount of works that could be considered as pertaining to the field of utopian studies. Here, it is possible to find the opposite situation: unlike the volumes about architecture, the majority of the books in this group consider foreign writers such as Anna Freud, Albert Camus, Reinhart Koselleck, and Herbert Marcuse. Among the works about Italians, it is worth highlighting the book Giorgio La Pira: L'Utopia Salverà la Storia (Giorgio La Pira: Utopia Will Save History), edited by Maurizio Certini,26 and Salvatore Lucchese's La Pedagogia in Situazione di Gaetano Salvemini. L'Utopia Possibile: Fallibilismo, Laicità, Democrazia (Gaetano Salvemini's Pedagogy in Circumstance. Possible Utopias: Fallibility, Secularism, Democracy).27 The first one presents the life and works of Giorgio La Pira (1904–1977), an Italian politician and defender of human rights, whereas the second examines the life and works of the antifascist politician and writer Gaetano Salvemini through the consideration of his pedagogical model.Regarding religion, most books examine Christianity, with the exception of Raimon Panikkar's L'Utopia Concreta: L'Astuzia di Indra (The Concrete Utopia: Indra's Wiliness).28 Thus, the only book that focuses on a non-Christian context has not been written by an Italian and is, in fact, a translation. Even though this fact is curious, it is not surprising if we consider the Italian Christian tradition. More curious, however, is the fact that Panikkar was a Catholic priest, born of a Spanish Catholic mother and an Indian Hindu father. Nonetheless, the importance of this translation goes beyond the fact that it brings a new perspective into the discussion of religious Utopianism. Raimon Panikkar was a theologian interested in the comparative study of various religions. In addition, he was also a supporter of dialogue between the most diverse beliefs. It is here that the greatest impact of this edition printed in 2016 lies. In an era when religious intolerance is becoming more and more common, the publication of a work by a writer who propagates dialogue and tolerance between members and adepts of different religions assumes an importance that transcends the religious scope and sheds new light on social and political problems, becoming even more interesting in the realm of utopian studies.The next group concerns literary Utopianism. Even though there were only five publications regarding this topic, the variety of authors makes this group one of the most heterogeneous ones. From Italian to Japanese literature, from comics to opera, a really broad scope of literature is examined throughout these volumes. On the other hand, all the books are concerned with the works of a particular writer or group of writers, such as Sylvia Plath, Traiano Boccalini, and Abe Kōbō. Stefano Petruccioli's I Miglioratori del Mondo: Utopia e Democrazia tra Letteratura, Fumetto, Filosofia (The Enhancers of the World: Utopia and Democracy Between Literature, Comics, Philosophy)29 is worth highlighting since it takes a broader view of Utopia in literature, from considering comic books to philosophy, presenting a political perspective as well.The smallest groups include the topics of citizenship, utopian communities, technology and globalization, Utopia and food, the environment and sustainability, and theoretical reflections on the concept of Utopia. Regarding citizenship, one of the books, Istituto di Toppo Wassermann. Un Progetto per il Friuli: Il Sogno di Francesco e Antonietta tra Utopia e Realtà (Toppo Wassermann Institute. A Project for Friuli: Francesco's and Antonietta's Dream Between Utopia and Reality),30 focuses on the history of the Toppo Wassermann College in Udine, open throughout almost the whole of the twentieth century. On the other hand, another book, CORE la Bella Utopia: Il Grande Sogno del Centro Oncoematologico di Reggio Emilia Diventato Realtà (CORE the Beautiful Utopia: The Great Dream of the Oncohematologic Center of Reggio Emilia Comes True),31 reports on the history of the Oncohematology Center of Reggio Emilia, a palace dedicated to scientific research and patient treatment. Two other books narrate the history of two utopian communities: while Enrico Camanni's Alpi ribelli: Storie di Montagna, Resistenza e Utopia (Insurgent Alps: Mountain Stories, Resistance, and Utopia)32 offers stories about mountaineers who created spaces of resistance in the Alps, experimenting with new social orders, Attilio Ianniello's Accoglienza e Utopia Profetica: La Comunità di Gorra (Hospitality and Prophetic Utopia: The Community of Gorra)33 tells the story of the so-called Community of Gorra, a group of young people who in 1980 decided to live like the first Christian community of Jerusalem as described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.The topic of technology and globalization, the topic of food, and the topic of the environment and sustainability are covered in only one book each. The book Prendere Tempo: Un'Utopia dell'Educazione (Taking Time: Utopia of Education)34 argues that the emergence of new technologies has an impact on human relations since it causes people to dedicate less time to each other. In a time when everything needs to be done in a hurry, especially when it concerns youngsters, a book that stands up for reclaiming time is praiseworthy. Regarding food, only one publication was identified, Nutrire il Pianeta? Il Ruolo dell'Europa nello Sviluppo Economico e Alimentare Mondiale (Nourishing the Planet? The Role of Europe in Global Economic Growth and Food Development),35 resulting from a conference that took place in Ferrara in 2015. On the other hand, the publication about the environment and sustainability was published in the gazette of the Italian National Association for the Protection of Artistic and Natural Heritage and deals with the “Carta di Fontecchio,” a document regarding the importance of areas of environmental protection.36Finally, there were publications dealing with theoretical aspects, namely, the concept of Utopia. Luciano Canfora's La Crisi dell'Utopia: Aristofane contro Platone (The Crisis of Utopia: Aristophanes Versus Plato),37 first published in 2014, for instance, offers a comparison between notions of Utopia in Plato and Aristophanes, whereas Riccardo Petrella's La Forza dell'Utopia: Cambiare il Divenire (The Power of Utopia: Changing the Being)38 fosters an even broader discussion on the concept of Utopia, functioning almost as a manifesto. In a similar way to a manifesto, La Forza dell'Utopia is a collective work that brings a powerful message to the reader: the idea that Utopia is born not from fear but from faith in a future that will be possible for everybody.Bearing the context of the Italian publications concerning Utopia in the year 2016 and in the first semester of 2017 in mind, it is difficult to find common ground. The published works really differ from each other and represent the most diverse areas of knowledge, as well as different approaches to the idea of Utopia. Nevertheless, it is possible to note a tendency in considering isolated utopian personalities or experiments. In this sense, more abstract or theoretical works are a minority. On the other hand, it is possible to distinguish a smaller tendency to consider the word utopia in a general way, not always related to utopian studies. In this regard, Italy seems to be in line with a more global trend that “borrows” the term utopia to use it in the most diverse contexts, from Katy Perry songs to travel agency advertisement campaigns. Even if it is used in a nonengaged context, this appropriation of Utopia is a sign that Utopianism is alive and in a constant process of transformation and adaptation, from more academic contexts to daily conversations. This popularization of Utopia will only bring positive effects and is, in fact, a way of making utopian thought a more concrete and real experience. If people are talking about Utopia, even if in a superficial manner, then people are thinking about it and, consequently, rethinking our social, political, and economic situations. Bearing this context in mind, it is easy to realize why most of the books assume a revolutionary perspective. Even when describing people, institutions, places, or communities that are long gone, the titles do not lose track of the future. Each book brings a sense of revolution that goes hand in hand with the possibility of constructing a better sense of community, filled with dialogue, tolerance, and empathy, both among human beings and between human beings and the environment.If, on the one hand, Thomas More was praised by Pope John Paul II as being capable of harmonizing the natural and supernatural worlds, on the other hand, the titles considered in this short review show that a similar harmony between the real and the imaginative is brought about in the discussions regarding Utopia. Furthermore, the titles show that through the reality-imagination dichotomy, it is possible to think about and to find possible solutions for our present problems in order to construct a better (no)place in the future.