Thesis title: “Se tra le tenebre dei torchi restassero per sempre sepolte le lettere”: studi sulle carte di Lorenzo Viani.
After outlining the author’s biographical path, this study aims to highlight, through both published and unpublished texts, the poetics of Viani and his connections with Expressionism, exploring the relationship between graphic line and verbal sign, as well as the distinctive features of a writing style that, in many passages, depicts human aspects verging on disgust. These are complemented by the ironic character of his early works and the more measured tone that marks the later phase of his production.
After addressing the author’s reflections on the stylistic approach used to portray his irregular characters — a blend of dialect, slang, and literary language — and his ties with earlier and contemporary writers, foremost among them Gadda, the study examines the cultural context in which Viani worked, focusing on his relations with the publishing world during the first fifteen years of the Fascist regime.
The second part of the research centers on unpublished materials found in the archives, primarily the novel Nan. Among the various fragments, two short story collections take shape: one devoted to Beppe di Cola, a character around whom several brief texts revolve, and the other set during the years of anarchist activism. Another area of investigation within the unpublished works concerns Viani’s dramatic writing, analyzed through his two plays Auro and I lunatici, the latter belonging to the period preceding the author’s death.
The final section traces the trajectory of Viani’s critical reception from the 1920s to the early 21st century, through articles, scholarly contributions, and exhibition catalogues.