The Specificity of the Italian Tradition in Translation through the Lens of the Early Nineteenth-century Translation of Iliad

The paper focuses on V. Monti's translation of Iliad which, despite the fact that the translator did not know old Greek, remains the most complete and widely read text among the Italian translations of Homer's Iliad. The historic-literary circumstances under which this translation emerged are worth mentioning. The first publication was in 1807 along with two other translations of Iliad, made by U. Foscolo and M. Cesarotti. All three came up with three different translations of the first book of Homer's Iliad, while the second part of the edition covered the translator's views on how to translate Iliad. The history of the three translations published under one cover ended up with a serious argument. Cesarotti took offence with Foscolo and Monti, since his text had been used as an interlinear translation and not as an equal rival in the contest. Two close friends Foscolo and Monti fell out as well. Foscolo ridiculed Monti as a translator in his epigram: "Questo è Monti, poeta e cavaliero. Grand traduttor dei traduttor d'Omero". However, il was Monti's translation that the Royal Academy singled out in 1812 as the one of that was to be put on the school mandatory reading list.