The Image of Slovenians in the Literary Opus of the Italian Triestine Writer Claudio Magris

Abstract

In the first half of the twentieth century, the Italian literature of Trieste represented the Slovenians in a negative manner. Only in the 1960s did this begin to change. However, what characterizes the representation of the Slovenians in the literature of Claudio Magris (1939), one of the most prominent contemporary Italian writers from Trieste? The analysis showed that Magris constructs the image of Slovenians through six key concepts: Yugoslavia, Fascism, Trieste, the Slovenian language, German identity, and (un)popular Slovenians. – When Magris writes about Slovenians, he particularly refers to old categories such as Yugoslavia, the first half of the twentieth century, and the Second World War. In this context, he is mostly interested in the Slovenian Partisan movement, in May 1st, 1945 in Trieste, and in the Italian loss of Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia. He tries to be objective and consequently also writes about Italian Fascism, intolerance, and violence against the Slovenians, also revealing its darkest sides (extermination camps and Fascist collaboration with the Nazis in Trieste). He confirms the presence of Slovenians in Trieste and explores the sources of tensions between the local Slovenians and Italians. – As an Italian writer, in his works Magris tends to establish an equal hierarchy between Slovenians and Italians by examining various (also conflicting) views on problematic issues in Slovenian-Italian relations. In spite of this, some elements of his writing – such as the alternating use of the terms Slovenians and Slavs, or the focus on the history of Slovenians in the context of Yugoslavia – still shows remnants of the past mentality of Italian supremacy, which evidently has not been fully eradicated.