Ciao, Redwallers!
In January and February of this year, Italian publisher Mondadori released two new translations of Redwall and Mossflower (La spada del guerriero). This appears to be the first time that Mondadori has published a version of Redwall since the late 1990s!
The books are hardcovers with white backgrounds; as is the case with other European books, the cover artwork is etched directly onto them. Redwall features blue graphics, text, and illustrations, while Mossflower features green graphics, text, and illustrations. "Redwall" is centric to the designs.
The new covers for both books were created by Ryan Ragnini. Redwall's cover includes Matthias, Cluny the Scourge, Asmodeus Poisonteeth, and Redwall Abbey, whereas Mossflower contains Martin the Warrior, Boar the Fighter forging the new Sword of Martin, Tsarmina Greeneyes, Kotir, and The Gloomer.
There are no maps and no chapter illustrations in either edition. However, interestingly, each book begins with a list of the characters who appear in the Brian Jacques novels; this is something I've never seen before and I think it's a great idea.
Laura Cangemi provides the new Italian translation of Redwall, and like the Korean translation, we get an interesting and lovely note from her at the end of the book that explains her process:
- The new unabridged edition of Redwall that you have read is a revised and corrected edition of the first one I translated way back in 1993.
- Thirty years of experience, combined with a certain stubbornness and some resources available online today, have allowed me to solve the anagram contained in the opening inscription in a different way and to restore the names of the English text. The protagonist of this first book of the Redwall cycle has thus returned to being called Matthias and in general the names of the mice and other animals that populate the abbey are the original ones.
- New solutions have also been adopted for the speech of moles and for the language of the sparrows, and some changes have been made to the names of some rats and other animals that besiege the abbey.
- I hope that fans old and new ... will appreciate this version that is closer to the spirit and letter of an ageless classic.
For those who may not have picked up Redwall in a while, the "opening inscription" Cangemi refers to is the rhyme that appears beneath the Great Hall tapestry of Martin. In English, this contains the "I am that is" anagram; the Italian text is "Io - che nato me mutasti."
Loredana Serratore provided the new Italian translation for Mossflower, however there is no note or other commentary.
Time will tell if there are more Italian translations forthcoming, however this is a noteworthy start to 2025.
