Mikhail Zoshchenko is one of the most famous Russian humourists and writers of the first half of 20th century. His texts, and in particular the short stories written in 1920s–1930s, are true masterpieces and had an extraordinary success in Russia, echoed in an immediate reception abroad. The aim of this contribution is to analyse some samples from the ten Italian translations of one of his most iconic short stories, Aristokratka (1924). Particular attention will be given to the way the translators dealt with the different aspects of the language used by Zoshchenko, a perfect specimen of a modern realisation of the skaz.

This paper deals with the philological issues arisen in Italy in the case of Beckett’s drama in relation to his status as a self-translator, a fact still unclear when the first Italian translations were composed. This produced some inaccuracies as to the status of the original text: Fruttero usually translated from French, but several modifications were later introduced based on the English version. It was not revealed in the paratext that a modified translation combines both authorial texts.

Starting from the famous controversy connected with the publication of Emily Dickinson’s manuscripts, this article sets out to explore how the originals were finally restored to the author’s intent. A brief analysis of the first Italian translations followed by some of the most recent attempts will prove that new translations of Dickinson’s output are still necessary.