Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discusses in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to approach Elio Vittorini's work from the wider perspective of the literary and social milieu from which it emerged. It contains a group of essays devoted to some common features in Vittorini's work. The book outlines the development of his attempts to forge a narrative style capable of transcending the limitations of a purely denotative language. It also concerns the recurrent, almost obsessive, presence of an imagery related to what could be briefly described as a generational tension involving son, father and grandfather. The book tackles the issue of Vittorini's unusual tendency to leave many of his works unfinished. It discusses Vittorini's contribution as organizer and promoter of the intellectual debate. The book concludes with a large scale 'mapping' of, respectively, Vittorini's editorial and fictional production.