La sorella dell'Ave The Story of Two Sisters by Ludovica Ripa di Meana

Abstract

This article seeks to give visibility in the Anglophone world to poet Ludovica Ripa di Meana (Rome, 1933–), a writer who has inhabited the twentieth and twenty-first century of Italian culture with a uniquely multifaceted presence. The author of three novels in verse and several works for the stage (in addition to a long career as a journalist, in TV and film production), Ripa di Meana’s poetic work has won prizes and drawn praise from critics like Cesare Segre and Cesare Garboli. At the same time, she remains relatively unknown in Italy and abroad—certainly not as well-known as her unique voice and style deserve.

The interview and selected translation we present here bring attention to Ripa Di Meana’s poetry and personality in an international perspective. We include the interview with Ludovica that Jess Beasley and Silvia Valisa conducted in January and February 2024, together with excerpts from her first novel in verse, La sorella dell’Ave—The Story of Two Sisters (that is being currently cotranslated by Beasley and Valisa), with the goal of making her unique voice accessible to an Anglophone audience for the first time.