«Sou verament un home benemerit de les lletres catalanes». Cesare Giardini nei primi anni Venti del Novecento: catalanismo, politica e cultura

The study explores in detail the early writings of Cesare Giardini (Bologna, 1893-Milan, 1970) concerning Catalan culture. His work as a journalist, popularizer, and scholar – despite its many shortcomings – was pioneering in spreading knowledge about Catalonia in Italy. After World War I and his initial involvement with Futurism, Giardini left his acting career in 1923 to join the the new Milan-based publishing house Alpes, presided over by Arnaldo Mussolini. Anyway, before joining the publishing house, he has occasionally already been writing for some newspapers and magazines. Thanks to Joan Estelrich and Alfons Maseras, Giardini came into contact with much of the Catalan literary milieu, which marked the beginning of his intense work in promoting and translating Catalan literature. This essay focuses on this effort during the period 1922-25.