Saturday 1 January 2022

I am delighted by the many positive reviews of my translation of John Keats's Letters, published by Adelphi. The latest, by the eminent translator and critic Masolino d'Amico, appeared yesterday in La Repubblica. "This is the largest and most lovingly translated selection of Keats's letters that could be expected in our language," D'Amico says. "When translating […] the numerous poems that Keats inserts in his letters, Gallenzi retains the verse scheme of the original, including rhymes […], with affable simplicity. […] His heroic effort is particularly successful when he translates poems written in a half-serious tone, such as those address to his younger sister Fanny."

Huzzah!


 

Sunday 19 December 2021

Bloggerel redivivus! Bloggerel is back!

In spring 2014 we took the decision to close down our blog. As it turns out, it was only a temporary measure. A mere seven and a half years have passed, and I am looking forward to bridging that gap and catching up with literary blogging in the following weeks and months.

So many things have happened during this period of self-imposed silence… As we resume Bloggerel, I will make sure that we look forward as well as back, in order to give you a full and honest account of ourselves.

So stay tuned until my next post, which hopefully won't take seven more years to appear…

Monday 17 March 2014

The End of Bloggerel

Originally started in 2008, Bloggerel has been a place for us to discuss literature, not only the latest news from Alma and the inner workings of publishing, but also to post about some of the hidden gems from classical literature. 

As Alma Books and Alma Classics continue to grow and we are publishing more and more titles, the demands on our time have increased accordingly. So it is with sadness that we have decided to stop updating Bloggerel. It has been fun during the last few years, but the blog can no longer be maintained as it had been previously. 

You can still find out about Alma's latest news on other social media: 
Twitter - @almabooks and @almaclassics
Facebook - Alma Books and Alma Classics
Pinterest - Alma 

Alessandro Gallenzi

Tuesday 12 November 2013

RIP Ignat Avsey

We are saddened to hear that Ignat Avsey – translator of many books for us and for other publishers, including Angel Books, Oxford University Press, Penguin Books and Pushkin Press – passed away last night at the Northwick Park Hospital after a short illness.

We are proud to be the publisher of some of his translations, which include Dostoevsky’s Humiliated and Insulted and The Idiot, as well as a forthcoming novel by Dmitry Merezhkovsky’s, Leonardo.

I am glad I was able to meet him a few times over the past few months, and I am keen to ensure that his literary legacy – as a translator and promoter of Russian and German literature – remains well alive within our list.

Our thoughts and our deepest condolences go to Ignat’s family at this time of mourning.

Alessandro Gallenzi

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Pushkin Hills at Pushkin House


From left to right: Katherine Dovlatov, A.D. Miller and Zinovy Zinik at Pushkin House last night, celebrating the launch of Katherine Dovlatov's translation of Pushkin Hills, written by her father Sergei Dovlatov and available now for the first time in English.

It was a wonderful occupation - absorbing and informative - and well attended, thank you to Pushkin House for hosting the event and to the three panelists for their insightful discussion.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Secret Leopardi - Event at the Italian Cultural Institute

Having published Canti by Giacomo Leopardi ourselves we are always interested in reading other translations of Leopardi's work, so tomorrow's event at the Italian Cultural Institute (39 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8NX) should to be quite interesting.  For anyone interested in Leopardi or italian literature in general come tomorrow 17th October at 6:30pm, free event but booking essential, see description below:

'THE SECRET LEOPARDI: THE FIRST INTEGRAL ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE ZIBALDONE

Under the supervision of Franco D’Intino and Michael Caesar, Penguin publishes the first integral English translation of Giacomo Leopardi’s Zibaldone, the collection of notes written by the poet between 1817 and 1832.

The result of an impressive effort by the researchers, this work includes critical and philological parts, notes and a detailed introduction. 

Critically acclaimed, the translation will be presented at the Italian Cultural Institute by the curators, Professors Franco D’Intino and Michael Caesar, together with Professor Susan Bassnett.
Writer Elisabetta Rasy, within the series Writers in Residence, will read from the book and chair the event.'

Click here to book online

Friday 13 September 2013

Morrissey book 'cancelled'

According to the Bookseller, the publication of Morrissey's autobiography has been cancelled after a last-minute disagreement between the singer and Penguin. It seems the singer wanted his 600 page work to be published as a Penguin Classics.

The publishers of Alma Classics, Alessandro Gallenzi and Elisabetta Minervini would love to take this project on and incorporate it into our Alma Classics list. Having exchanged Morrissey tapes when they were young lovebirds and been dedicated fans for the past 25 years, this book would be a joy to work on and as an important account of music history we feel it deserves a place alongside the classics.

Read the full report from the Bookseller: http://www.thebookseller.com/news/morrissey-book-cancelled.html