The Woman and the City. Lia Neanova, from Traveler to Migrant

Abstract

The article analyzes the first and the last novel by Lia Neanova, who was born in Odessa and moved to Italy in 1915. Published twenty-five years apart, they show numerous similarities on the plot level while diverging strongly in the configuration of the female characters and in the relationship with the new inhabited place, represented primarily by the city of Rome. The article suggests that between the first and the last novel there is a profound metamorphosis which leads to a break with the previous tradition of Russian intellectuals in Europe and may be ascribed to “migrant literature”. Although, in fact, both books are published in Italian, the first presents an “exotic” narrative of Italy, while the second critically tackles some issues such as the testimony, the relationship between place of birth and that of arrival and the “right” of belonging, anticipating numerous instances of so-called “migrant voices”.