Da Werther ai Werther. «La storia di una malattia» nello specchio delle traduzioni

The numerous translations that have followed one another since the novel was first published have told the story of Werther’s ‘illness’ in different ways; in the translation choices as in the critical apparatus, from the covers to the introductions and comments, Werther’s suicide has been judged from time to time, condemned, concealed or exalted; each translation takes the form of a story of the protagonist’s fate that is different from the original version. Retracing some of the stages of the novel’s reception, the article focuses on several of these translations, from the earliest to the 20th century (Deyverdun, Seckendorf, Grassi, Salom, Ludger, Ceroni, Graziani, Borgese, Spaini/Baioni), trying to identify in each one the particular vision and interpretation of Werther’s destiny.