Fantastiche traduzioni: Riccardo Valla, Lyon Sprague de Camp e lo spazio dei generi speculativi in Italia

This essay aims to shed new light on speculative genres in the Italian cultural context, devoting specific attention to translations and the transcultural editorial practices that characterized the publishing market in the peninsula during the second half of the Twentieth century. Preceded by some general remarks outlining tendencies and notable aspects as regards the Italian cultural context, the central part of the essay focuses on a case study: the correspondence between Riccardo Valla (Torino, 1942-2013) – editor in chief of the publishing house Nord – and US author Lyon Sprague de Camp (New York, 1907-2000) during the 1970s. Editorial consultant and curator, science fiction and fantasy refined connoisseur, and traducteur extraordinaire, Valla fostered the Italian reception of de Camp’s work, negotiating the translation rights acquisition of many novels, programming their placement in Nord’s catalogue, and authoring or supervising their translation. This case study is a vantage point from which to assess the activity of a publishing house that during the considered period had a pivotal role in bringing science fiction and fantasy to the Italian bookshelves. Furthermore, it brings us into the laboratory of an exceptional translator, highlighting its distinctive publishing and cultural agency.