Introduction

The rich and multifaceted nature of Dino Buzzati’s oeuvre has been the subject of numerous studies, which have often highlighted its intermedial qualities and proved the value of an interdisciplinary approach. The presence and role of women in his works is still fertile ground for critical and theoretical exploration. This special issue, Women in Buzzati’s Oeuvre, addresses this subject, offering fresh perspectives on the representation of women and femininity within Buzzati’s predominantly male-dominated narrative world. The volume originates from the discussions and papers presented at the Dino Buzzati conference held in September 2022 at University College Dublin[1]. The year 2022 marked the fiftieth anniversary of Buzzati’s death and groups of scholars worldwide, especially those revolving around the Associazione Internazionale Dino Buzzati, have prompted numerous research events, art exhibitions, and scholarly publications, thus proving the extent to which Buzzati’s oeuvre dialogues with contemporary society, challenges, and issues.

Drawing on key works by Panafieu (1988), Ferrari (1997), Daniele (2018), and, further scholarly contributions by Ross (2005), Coglitore (2018), Crescenzi (2022), De Rosa (2022), Ceravolo (2023), Vallarino (in print), and Valle (in print)[2], this volume reconsiders the literary portrayals of women in Buzzati’s writings, pushing the boundaries of previous scholarship. Women in Buzzati’s work have been traditionally framed within a dichotomic approach that has often crystallised them in their holiness or their sinfulness. This volume problematises these representations and attempts to provide more complex nuances. Women in Buzzati’s Oeuvre makes a significant contribution to Buzzati scholarship. It offers new insights into female representation through comparative and in-depth close readings, and opens up new avenues of critical enquiry that mobilise interdisciplinary methodologies, from neuroscience and cell biology to art performances, posthumanism and eco-criticism.

The volume is composed of six articles divided into three parts. They examine different facets of the feminine across Buzzati’s works - from prose to poetry, to graphic novels - revealing a depth and complexity often overlooked by analyses focused on male characters.

Part I explores Buzzati’s women characters through the lens of the myth. John Butcher opens the discussion by examining Poema a fumetti through the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. He shows how Buzzati’s blend of classical and modern motifs results in a complex portrayal of Eurydice, positioning the author as one of the most innovative interpreters of the myth in the 20th century. Butcher highlights the ambivalence in Buzzati’s depiction of women: while Eurydice is empowered by her journey into the afterlife, she remains defined by her relationship with Orpheus. Ambivalence is further explored by Vincenzo Lisciani Petrini, who analyses Buzzati’s portrayal of chthonic female figures in Il grande ritratto, Un amore, and Poema a fumetti. Focusing on three key women of these works - Laura, Laide, and Eura, respectively - Lisciani Petrini highlights the mix of allure and danger embodied by these characters that reflect archetypal and mythical dualities. Buzzati’s female characters in these works are both feared and revered, disrupting the male protagonist’s control and emerging as “monstrous” figures who challenge patriarchal structures.

Part II offers an in-depth analysis of Il grande ritratto and the first comparative reading of Buzzati’s short stories in this volume. Giacomo De Fusco’s article explores the symbolic tension between femininity, technology, and nature through the figure of Laura. De Fusco re-evaluates Laura’s sexuality and compares Buzzati’s poetics with the ideas of Yves Klein, using a posthumanist and eco-critical approach to analyse the relationship between body and soul in the work. In his analysis of Buzzati’s short stories, Giovanni Barracco highlights the significant roles of mother figures and young girls, arguing that these characters drive essential themes such as truth-seeking, the acceptance of reality, time, and love. He emphasises that women in Buzzati’s short stories are not secondary characters, but integral to the thematic structure of the narrative, embodying a deeper pathos and emotional resonance.

Part III includes articles which look at women characters through space in the author’s short stories and poetry. Simone Pengue provides a comparative analysis of Buzzati’s short story collections Sessanta racconti and Il Colombre e altri cinquanta racconti, examining the evolution of female characters between the two works. He argues that the death of Buzzati’s mother in 1961 marked a significant shift in how women are portrayed. While women and death in Sessanta racconti are spatially separated, in Il Colombre they often share the same space. Pengue suggests that Buzzati’s maternal bereavement led him to reimagine femininity as intrinsically linked to death and mortality. Massimiliano Cappello’s article shifts the focus to Buzzati’s posthumous collection of poems, Le Poesie (1982). Despite the marginal role of Buzzati’s poetry in scholarship, Cappello uncovers striking continuities and divergences between Buzzati’s depiction of women in his poetry and prose. His analysis reveals how feminine figures are often associated with symbolic spaces like home, the city, or hell, reflecting the themes of containment, displacement, and spiritual exile.

At the end of this overview, the reader might have noticed that the six contributors to this volume on femininity and female characters in Buzzati’s works are male. The irony of having only male voices talking about female representations in Buzzati’s work is not lost on us. As women, the lack of female contributors was in fact one of our main concerns while collecting and editing the material for this issue. This fortuitous unbalance – contributors of all genders were invited to participate in the volume – provides material for further reflection. It may encourage a reassessment of the gender balance in the field of Buzzati studies. It may also compel an evaluation of whether a critical discomfort on the part of female scholars in approaching Buzzati’s treatment of female figures can be detected, especially when some portrayals trigger uneasy reactions and feelings. These questions, which branch out of this volume, are fertile ground for further enquiry.