The Anglo-Italian Afterlives of the Finzi-Continis. Tim Parks reads Giorgio Bassani

The reception of Giorgio Bassani’s work in Anglophone countries reveals a discrepancy between America and Europe. The reasons for the warm American and tepid British reception of Bassani will be addressed and Tim Parks’ work as a mediator will be investigated. Parks’ study of Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini and the controversy caused by his specific reading will illuminate why Bassani’s rendition of history and predilection for North American culture have shaped the British reception of his work.