Scale nelle Alpi Edward Whymper Translation

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 Chris Fitzhugh 09 Dec 2018

Scrambles Amongst the Alps by Edward Whymper was first published in 1871.  A German translation came out in 1872; the French in 1873.  When was the first Italian edition?   Surely before  1932 and 1946 ?  -  the dates suggested online  for the first abridged version and the first complete text.  If so, why such a long delay?

 

 

In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:

I recently re-read Guido Rey's 'The Matterhorn' (publ 1907) and wondered why, in his description of the celebrations in Breuil after Carrel's first Italian ascent of the Matterhorn, the words of the songs they sang were in French. It seems he must have got that from an Italian translation of Whymper's account in Scrambles ... which would bear out what you're saying.

 Sayon 09 Dec 2018
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I'm not familiar with the  details of the song , but I wonder if this is related to the prevalence of French as the first language in Valle d'Aosta. 

In reply to Sayon:

Ah, I had no idea about that. 

Guido Rey said the chorus they sang ‘was somewhat as follows: 

Vive le Monsieur Italien/ Qui a vaincu le Mont Cervin!’ 

Hurrah for the hero, Italian born/ Who has conquered the mighty Matterhorn!

 

 jcw 09 Dec 2018
In reply to Sayon:

certainly it is. Val d'Aoste was  French speaking and the transfer to the newly created Italy by Napoleon III and the resulting pseudo-plebiscite of 1860-1 changed nothing linguistically. At least not really until the Mussolini period when Italian became increasingly the imposed national language. I believe it is still essentially bilingual and French officially recognized. And in much of the rest of the Alpine region those interested in the history of Le Cervin would have read it  in German! 

 

In reply to jcw:

Yet the Italian Alpine Club, CAI, was founded in 1863 under an Italian language name. And even if the 1860s were a time of political turmoil until full reunification in 1871, why wait another sixty years to translate the first book on their Cervino ?  

I have just rediscovered on my shelves a small 1935 card-backed CAI published manual on Alpinism, 260 pages.  ALPINISMO  by Renato Chabod and Giusto Gervasutti. They were two good friends, born in1909,  and very active hard climbers.  The first 32 pages are a long and full quote in Italian from Mummery, his entire last chapter entitled  On the Pleasures and Penalties of Mountaineering. Joint author Chabod also drew the vigorous sketches to illustrate movement on rock, 12 point crampons, variations of the classical abseil, ironmongery etc  -  standing on partner's shoulders for extra height; or kneeling if wearing crampons. Gervasutti, as is well known, died in 1946 when trying to release a jammed abseil rope. Chabod went on to become a politician and die in 1990.  My Climbs in the Alps and the Caucasus had already appeared in Italian in 1930.

 EwanR 10 Dec 2018
In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:

> Yet the Italian Alpine Club, CAI, was founded in 1863 under an Italian language name. And even if the 1860s were a time of political turmoil until full reunification in 1871, why wait another sixty years to translate the first book on their Cervino ?  

One would suspect that it's because the first ascent by an Italian (Carrel) from the Italian side (so their Cervino) is a lot more interesting for Italian audiences than the first ascent from the Swiss side by some British with Swiss guides.

Renato Chabod was born in Aosta and was, presumably, completely bilingual so translating from the French for the "Alpinismo" book wouldn't have been a problem. 

 jcw 11 Dec 2018
In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:

Chris, I am not quite sure if the point you are making. It is not surprising that the CAI was founded a couple of years after the formation of what wa recognized as Italy, presumably in Turin, itself the home ground of the Savoy dynasty. Nor that by 1935 when  Mussolini was well established, that Italian was taking over as the national language in the Alpine areas where hitherto French or German had predominated. One must bear in mind the "internationalism" and cosmopolitan nature of the mountaineering and other elite for long, viz the Duc d'Abruzzi, Infante of Spain in origin and very much international expeditions in the Karakorum and elsewhere. It is only when he became involved with Mussolinis's colonial adventures that the Italian nationalism came to the fore.

 I know that I am moving onto ground which I would certainly not claim any expertise, but I do not really see what you are saying is incompatible with what I posted i.e. that an Italian version of the history of The Cervin was late in appearing or that Guido Rey's celebration of an Italian ascent was in French.  

Post edited at 00:16

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