Title: Alternative urban journeys: Italian travel writing and the Contromano series
Abstract: Since 2004 the Contromano series published by Laterza has aimed to present alternative perspectives on contemporary urban Italy, featuring the writing of a number of innovative Italian authors. These writers attempt to uncover hidden aspects of familiar places, often their native town or region. This article situates the series within a body of writing on journeys within Italy and examines how the narratives reflect many of the characteristics and ambiguities of Italian travel writing. It seeks to examine the image of the Italian city that emerges from this body of writing: a space in constant flux, transformed by global economic forces and postcolonial migratory flows. It explores the distinctive sense of local identity that emerges from these texts and considers how this intersects with wider constructions of belonging. It questions whether the search for a local identity ends in a nostalgic quest for authenticity or whether the writers are able to envisage more inclusive ways of belonging to urban spaces.
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 3
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