Fausto Cercignani

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Fausto Cercignani (2011). The essence of my optimism is constructive pessimism.

Fausto Cercignani (born March 21, 1941 in Cagliari ) is an Italian literary scholar , poet , English and Germanist .

life and work

Fausto Cercignani was born in Cagliari in 1941 to parents from Tuscany . He studied English and German in Milan . His career as a university professor was initially characterized by philological studies in the field of English and German. After many years of teaching at the Universities of Bergamo (1971–1974), Parma (1974–1975) and Pisa (1975–1983), he returned to Milan in 1983, first as a professor of German philology and then for German literature at the University of Milan .

The Anglist

Cercignani's philological interests have been directed from the outset to the history of the English language , with particular reference to the Elizabethan Age. His contributions on the pronunciation of English in the age of Shakespeare (published in Studia Neophilologica , English Studies, and other journals) anticipate his major Shakespeare's Works and Elizabethan Pronunciation (Oxford, 1981) as "the best available work" in the field has been quoted.

As the "leading authority" on Elizabethan pronunciation, Cercignani is often cited on original puns, rhymes and spelling variants in the more recent editions of Shakespeare's works, in most Shakespeare reference works, and in all sorts of publications on linguistic and literary issues from a historical perspective.

The Germanist as a linguist

From the beginning, Cercignani's philological interests were also directed towards the historical phonology of the Germanic languages and other aspects of historical linguistics . Specialized periodicals such as Zeitschrift für Comparative Sprachforschung , Indo-European Research , Journal of English and Germanic Philology , Language , Contributions to the History of German Language and Literature and The Journal of Indo-European Studies have published their contributions on Proto -European , Gothic , English and German .

Some of his studies - e.g. B. Early 'umlaut' phenomena in the Germanic languages , in Language , 56/1, 1980 - are often cited for alternative understandings of linguistic changes (see a-umlaut ).

Cercignani's remarkable work The Consonants of German: Synchrony and Diachrony (Milano, 1979) "offers both an original contribution to German phonology and a first-class presentation of the state of research".

The Germanist as a literary scholar

The literary interests of Cercignani were initially directed to the poetry of Karl Krolow , with contributions in periodicals such as Germanic-Romanic monthly , literary yearbook and other specialist journals (1984-1986). His study of Christa Wolf's early novels ( Existence and Heroism in Christa Wolf. «Der teilte Himmel» and «Kassandra» , Würzburg, 1988) and subsequent essays on her later works have contributed to an awareness of the true essence of the East German writer's narrative regardless of their political and personal vicissitudes. The emphasis on Cercignani on Christa Wolf's heroism paved the way for the following contributions in this direction.

The numerous other writers whose works Cercignani subsequently dealt with include: Jens Peter Jacobsen , Georg Trakl , Georg Büchner , Arthur Schnitzler , Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , Gotthold Ephraim Lessing , Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder , Hugo von Hofmannsthal , Rainer Maria Rilke , Alban Berg , ETA Hoffmann , Robert Musil , Novalis , Joseph Roth , Richard Beer-Hofmann , Karl Kraus , Franz Kafka , Thomas Mann , August Stramm , Gerhart Hauptmann , Reinhard Jirgl , Friedrich Schiller .

Since 1992 Cercignani has been editor of the international yearbook Studia austriaca ( ISSN  1593-2508 ), which is dedicated to the culture and literature of Austria today and yesterday . The yearbook is published in collaboration with the Austrian Cultural Forum in Milan .

Since 1994 Cercignani has also published the Studia theodisca ( ISSN  1593-2478 ), a yearbook that publishes international articles on German-language literature from all eras.

The poet

Cercignani's poetry is collected in seven volumes and includes poems published in the Almanacco dello Specchio , Anterem and other magazines. In a discussion of his poetry, one critic speaks of Orphic poetry, but “hard and shiny as steel” and another notes that Cercignani's poems “achieve a maximum of concentration thanks to an acceleration of thought or feeling that materiality through abstraction restored ".

Fausto Cercignani also deals with the self-translation of lyrical texts.

Works (selection)

English studies

  • Shakespeare's Works and Elizabethan Pronunciation , Oxford, University Press (Clarendon Press), 1981.
  • English Rhymes and Pronunciation in the Mid-Seventeenth Century , in “English Studies”, 56/6, 1975, pp. 513-518.
  • The Development of * / k / and * / sk / in Old English , in “Journal of English and Germanic Philology”, 82/3, 1983, pp. 313-323.

German Studies (Linguistics)

  • The Consonants of German: Synchrony and Diachrony . Milano, Cisalpino, 1979.
  • The Development of the Gothic Short / Lax Subsystem , in “Journal for Comparative Linguistic Research”, 93/2, 1979, pp. 272-278.
  • Early "Umlaut" Phenomena in the Germanic Languages , in "Language", 56/1, 1980, pp. 126-136.
  • To high German consonantism. Phonological analysis and phonological change , in “Contributions to the history of German language and literature”, 105/1, 1983, pp. 1–13.
  • The Elaboration of the Gothic Alphabet and Orthography , in “Indogermanische Forschungen”, 93, 1988, pp. 168-185.
  • Saggi linguistici e filologici. Germanico, gotico, inglese e tedesco (Linguistic and philological essays. Germanic, Gothic, English and German), Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso, 1992.

German studies (literature)

Books

  • F. Cercignani, Existence and Heroism with Christa Wolf. "The divided sky" and "Kassandra" , Würzburg, Königshausen & Neumann, 1988.
  • F. Cercignani, Memoria e reminiscenze. Nietzsche, Büchner, Hölderlin ei poemetti in prosa di Trakl (memories and reminiscences. Nietzsche, Büchner, Hölderlin and Trakl's prose poems ), Torino, Genesi Editrice, 1989.
  • F. Cercignani (ed.), Studia trakliana. Georg Trakl 1887-1987 , Milano, Cisalpino, 1989.
  • F. Cercignani (ed.), Studia büchneriana. Georg Büchner 1988 , Milano, Cisalpino, 1990.
  • F. Cercignani (ed.), Studia schnitzleriana (Arthur Schnitzler 1991), Alessandria, Edizioni dell'Orso, 1991.
  • F. Cercignani - E. Mariano (ed.), Vincenzo Errante. La traduzione di poesia ieri e oggi (Vincenzo Errante. The translation of poetry, yesterday and today), Milano, Cisalpino, 1993.
  • F. Cercignani (ed.), Novalis , Milano, CUEM, 2002.

Essays

  • Dark, green and paradise. Karl Krolow's lyrical beginnings in “Highly praised good life” , in “Germanisch-Romanische Monatsschrift”, 36/1, 1986, pp. 59–78.
  • Between earthly nothingness and powerless heaven. Karl Krolow's “Poems” 1948: Disappointment and Confusion , in “Literaturwissenschaftliches Jahrbuch”, 27, 1986, pp. 197–217.
  • Il "Faust" goethiano. Forma e sostanza (Goethe's "Faust". Form and Substance), in Il "Faust" di Goethe. Antologia critica (Goethe's "Faust". A critical anthology), ed. by F. Cercignani and E. Ganni, Milano, Led, 1993, pp. 21-38.
  • “Nathan il saggio” e il Settecento tedesco (“Nathan the Wise” and the German 18th century), in “ACME”, 47/1, 1994, pp. 107–124.
  • Sul “Wozzeck” di Alban Berg (About Alban Berg's “Wozzeck”), in Studia austriaca V , Milano, Edizioni Minute, 1997, pp. 169–190.
  • ETA Hoffmann, Italy and the romantic conception of music , in Das Land der Sehnsucht. ETA Hoffmann and Italy , ed. by SM Moraldo, Heidelberg, Winter, 2002, pp. 191-201.
  • Per una rilettura di «Salomè». Il dramma di Oscar Wilde e il libretto di Richard Strauss (For a new reading of "Salome". Oscar Wilde's drama and Richard Strauss' textbook), in Studia theodisca IX , Milano, CUEM, 2002, pp. 171–192.
  • Georg Buechner. Empatia e prospettivismo (Georg Büchner. Empathy and Perspectivism), in Il cacciatore di silenzi. Studi dedicati a Ferruccio Masini (The hunter of noises. Studies in honor of Ferruccio Masini), vol. II, ed. by P. Chiarini, Roma, Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici, 2003, pp. 237-258.
  • 'Poesia filosofica' o 'filosofia poetica'? Con alcune osservazioni su Schiller ('Philosophical Poetry' or 'Poetic Philosophy'? With some remarks about Schiller), in La poesia filosofica (The Philosophical Poetry), ed. by A. Costazza, Milano, Cisalpino, 2007, pp. 163-170.
  • Inganno e autoinganno. Il campagnolo di Kafka (Fraud and self-deception. Kafkas Landmann), in Studia austriaca XVIII , Milano, PGreco, 2010, pp. 51-64.
  • Hofmannsthal from teatro e filosofia. Con particolare riguardo a “L'uomo difficile” (Hofmannsthal between theater and philosophy. With special consideration of “The Difficult”), in La filosofia a teatro (The philosophy in the theater), ed. by A. Costazza, Milano, Cisalpino, 2010, pp. 369-385.

Poetry

  • Fiore siglato ( Initialed Flower), Firenze 1988.
  • Fisicità svanite (Disappeared Materials), Torino 1988 - First Prize "Città di Moncalieri 1989".
  • Omaggio a Shakespeare (Homage to Shakespeare), Ten Poems, introduced by R. Mussapi, in “Almanacco dello Specchio”, n. 13 (1989).
  • Various texts in “Anterem”, nn. 40 (1989), 42 (1991), 44 (1992), 46 (1993) and 47 (1993).
  • Vene di trasparenza (Veins of Transparency), Verona 1990.
  • Nella grafia di un'ombra (In the graph of a shadow), Alessandria 1991.
  • Pulviscoli rigati (scratched dust particles), Napoli 1992.
  • Stelle di brina (stars of Reif), Milano 1993.
  • Reticoli svagati (Dreamy Reticles), Milano 1996.
  • Shakespearean Fancies (e-book), 2012.
  • Scritture. Poesie edite e inedite (Writings. Published and Unpublished Poems), Torino 2015.

stories

  • Five Women (e-book), 2013.

Awards

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Brian Morris: Quotes we cherish. Quotations from Fausto Cercignani . Lulu Press ( http://www.lulu.com/ ), Raleigh (NC, USA), 2013, p. 5 - German and English in the original.
  2. ^ Andrew Gurr, University of Reading
  3. ↑ David Kathman
  4. ↑ see e.g. B., William Shakespeare, Henry V , eds. by Gary Taylor, Oxford, University Press, 1998, p. 5 et passim , http://www.amazon.com/Henry-V-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0192834231#reader_0192834231
  5. ↑ see e.g. B., The New Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare , Cambridge, University Press, 2001
  6. ↑ Ch. I, n.20. Http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft3r29n8sp/ see e.g. B. Garrett Stewart, Reading Voices: Literature and the Phonotext , Berkeley, University of California Press, 1990
  7. ^ Anatoly Liberman, in Die Studiumspraxis / Teaching German , 13/2 (1980), p. 262.
  8. ↑ See, e.g. B., John Greenfield: The holy Rita of the wagon construction. Old Germanistic considerations on Christa Wolf's «Der teilte Himmel» , in Neophilologus , 81/3 (1997), p. 419, n. 4.
  9. ↑ [Giorgio Bárberi Squarotti, foreword to Fisicità svanite (Disappeared Materialities), p. 8.]
  10. ^ Carlo Alessandro Landini, La poesia milanese e lombarda. Realtà e prospettive (Milanese and Lombard poetry. Reality and prospects), in Hellas 11/15 (1991), pp. 43–44.
  11. ↑ See, e.g. B., http://sites.unimi.it/austheod/adagio3l.pdf , where the author himself translated the poem Adagio into German, English and French.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Cercignani, Fausto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian literary scholar, poet, English and Germanist
DATE OF BIRTH March 21, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Cagliari