Sergio Atzeni e il racconto di fondazione

The present research work aims to investigate Sergio Atzen’s posthmous novel,Passavamo leggeri sulla terra, and argue that it follows the conventions of the non-canonical literary genre known as foundation narrative. In this way, this thesis seeks to bridge a significant gap in current scholarship.Chapter One highlights the main features of the genre of foundation narratives thereby suggesting the possibility for further research into the relationship between short-story literary theories and theories on myth, orality and written culture, identity and memory.Chapter Two maps the epic development of Atzeni’s work with special attention to the numerous experimental references which characterize his oeuvre. This may be viewed as the sum of little pieces belonging to that larger mosaic that is the history of Sardinia - in such a way that his most recent novel represents the first piece of the mosaic itself.Chapter Three focuses on the fisrt part of Atzeni’s novel, built according to the conventions formely indicated in Chapter One.Finally, Chapter Four proposes a comparative reading of Atzeni’sPassavamo leggeri sulla terraand other contemporary foundation stories by Cesaire, Marquez, Rushdie, Walcott, Chamoiseau, Sgorlon, Maggiani and Angioni, in the attempt to map this literary genre and outline its peculiarities and intrically multifaceted nature.