Léon-Gontran Damas: the hiccup of writing. From the original rhythm to its translation into Italian

Abstract

This contribution, which combines a translation-based and analytical approach, focuses on the French poem “Hoquet” by Guyanese author Léon Gontran-Damas (1912–1978), taken from the collection Pigments, whose translations into Italian are examined. The specific comparison of translation choices aims to highlight the complexity and audacity of Damas’ style, as well as the labor limae that generates layers of meaning, and even different versions, in the flow of increasingly fragmented writing. The poem “Hoquet”, which denounces France’s assimilationist policy, thus sums up a whole poetics of defiance and demystifying irony, while revealing significant pitfalls in the work of translation.