Abstract: The article discusses the results of an inquiry that appeared in the Florentine literary journal Il marzocco in November 1897, in which various foreign intellectuals were asked to evaluate the originality of contemporary Italian literature compared to contemporary European production. What emerges is the problem of the relationship between Italian authors and the translations of foreign works circulating on the market, as well as the need for Italian literature to rediscover its own voice. This urgency is not purely literary or economic, but also political given the climate of nascent nationalism at the end of the 19th century.
Keywords: Il marzocco, Translations, Foreign Literature, National Identity, Classical Tradition, 19th century Editorial Marketplace.
