"Do people still sing?". Italian translations of the Aeneid in the Twentieth Century

This article aims to present a detailed review of Italian translations of the Aeneid during the Twentieth and early Twenty-first Century. Translations help to explain how and why Aeneid has been interpreted in particular times and contexts. During Fascism, translations played a large part in bringing Virgil and his poem into Italian literature and culture: according to this view, translators of the Aeneid made the connection with Italian literary tradition clear and explicit. After World War II, Virgil was seen as a source of humanity and as a reflection on human grief: translations of this time reflected this important shift using a language which became less grandly majestic, more reflective and plain. After 1980, translations of Virgil's work have incredibly increased in number and have become more and more devoted to the ideal of the "invisible" translator, with two remarkable and very recent exceptions (Sermonti and Fo). In conclusion, this article aims to show how the activity of translation has contributed to interpretation and reception of the Aeneid in Italy throughout the century.