Una “quasi sconosciuta” Paola Masino

Abstract

In the area of composition of librettos, female composition is virtually non-existent. An exception is Paola Masino, an eclectic intellectual, still unknown as a writer, mostly noted for being the companion of Massimo Bontempelli, whose works she was the curator of after his death, cultivating his memory. Apart from the attention of the critics of which Paola Masino has enjoyed for a short time for her novels Periferia (1933), Racconto grosso ed altri (1941), and Birth and death of the Housewife (1945), the fascist censorship and the general ostracism - which is generally reserved to female authors in 20th century Italy - did not allow to know her until the last years when her most popular works were republished, conferences were held on her literary activity and an archive dedicated to her has been set up at the La Sapienza University in Rome. In the English-speaking countries Paola Masino is being taken into account thanks to the translations of her novels and tales, but she is still unknown in the Hispanic sphere. The aspect we are interested in our research is her activity as librettist, even less known, and partly unpublished, even in Italy. In this study, we focus on her libretto Luisella (1964), adapted from Thomas Mann's tale of 1900.