Mirages

The sea has always been a place of fascination and mystery, a source of inspiration for poets and writers who have found the very essence of humanity in its depths. The sea is a frontier that unites and separates, a bridge that has been crossed by our ancestors over the centuries and that today has too often become a graveyard for those seeking a better life. This volume aims to collect stories and poems that over the centuries have been dedicated to the sea, its waves, and the mirages that sparkle on its surface. All the stories and poems were translated by the students, teachers, and principal of the Vincenzo Pagani Middle School in Monterubbiano, under the supervision of Stella Sacchini. This journey through time and space spans centuries and continents, beginning with the most ancient seafaring adventure, that of the polytropic Odysseus, and continuing through the experiences of countless poets and writers who have found the sea a source of inspiration and emotion throughout the centuries, finally reaching those who have placed their hopes in it. The volume thus includes writings translated not only from English, but also from Ancient Greek, Spanish, French, German, Romanian, Albanian, Hungarian, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and Tagalog—a wealth of languages ​​that perfectly represents the multilingualism and multiculturalism of our school and our country.

Stella Sacchini is a writer and translator. She teaches English Language and Translation at the University of Macerata. She has translated many authors, including C. Dickens, J. Williams, M. Twain, C. Brontë, F. Baum, J. S. Le Fanu, J. London, L. M. Alcott, H. P. Lovecraft, Raven Leilani, William Finnegan, Josephine Johnson, Apuleius, Ovid, and Apollonius Rhodius. She edits the series "Tentacles: Little Books of H. P. Lovecraft" for Oscar Fantastica. She is the author of Fuori posto (Coazinzola Press, 2013) and O magico di parole: Giacomo Leopardi (Giaconi Editore, 2019). In 2014, she won the Babel Prize for literary translation. She is responsible for "The Translator in the Classroom: The Voice of the Other," a project that brings translation to schools of all levels, and for "Attraversamenti," a translation workshop (in collaboration with the CPIA of Fermo and the SAI network) for migrants and refugees. Since 2018, she has been the director of "BookMarchs – The Other Voice," a festival dedicated to books and their translators. She has written and continues to write about language, literature, and translation for "Doppiozero," "Left," and "Il Post." Together with other colleagues, she edits "Linguafranca," the collective poetry translation blog for "Fatto Quotidiano." Since 2021, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the Casa delle Traduzioni in Rome. Since 2020, she has edited the series "The Translator in the Classroom Notebooks" for Giaconi Editore, where she publishes translations resulting from translation workshops in schools and universities.