This book contains an annotated translation of Elena Nicolini's Il gomitolo di Geni into English. The author of the original shares her recollections of a happy childhood in the village of Genivolta, Italy. She imagines these memories as a ball of yarn, a "gomitolo", evoking the thread of Ariadne. In its depiction of the popular culture of the day, Nicolini's original provides a window into a world that no longer exists. Il gomitolo di Geni is replete with local knowledge, an Italian dialect, Cremonese, as well as nursery rhymes and children's games, which contribute to making the text incredibly complex to translate into another language. After analysing the original in depth, the translators and authors of this volume strive to preserve all of the culture-specific elements in their English translation by opting for a style that allows English readers to embark on a journey into the microcosm of Genivolta.
Dr Simon Marshall was born in England and grew up in New Zealand and Australia. He was trained initially as a musician, and subsequently as a physical chemist, applied mathematician, and mathematics teacher, and pursued a career in research in academic and governmental institutions. In retirement, he went back to pursuing the other passion of his youth, which was foreign language learning. At the University of Western Australia, he completed a BA degree in Italian Studies (with additional study in Spanish, Latin, and Ancient Greek), and a Master of Translation studies, specialising in translation from Italian into English.An award-winning modern languages lecturer and translator, with experience spanning over two decades and three countries, Dr Gadd Colombi launched the Spanish department at The University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2017. She has published extensively on Translation Studies and Second Language Acquisition. She is the Director of Graduate Translation Studies and Convenor of Spanish Studies at UWA, where she teaches both undergraduates and Master of Translation students from as many as 10 different languages and cultures. She finds teaching her students, semester after semester, an incredibly enriching experience.
