On the Cultures of Exile, Translation and Writing

The hypothesis of Paolo Bartoloni's book is based on the belief that a substantial and innovative discussion of the philosophical notions of immanence and potentiality is not only overdue but also necessary to address the social, political, cultural, and ethical aporia confronting us today. The phenomenon of globalisation with its countless sub-narratives such as mobility, migration, security, authenticity, and inauthenticity can be thought and contextualised through a close reading and articulation of immanence and potentiality. The author provides a tangible and workable philosophical and cultural discourse within which to present an alternative understanding of subjectivity by engaging in a theoretical discussion with the philosophical discourse on potentiality and immanence, of which the writings of Gilles Deleuze and Giorgio Agamben are among the most advanced and innovative examples to date. Secondly, Bartoloni presents a virtual insight into the potential immanent subject and community through exploring a radically new interpretation of exile, translation, and temporality. Finally, the author shows how the experience of potentiality and immanence, and their ontological statuses have been explored and realised in literature through a close reading and articulation of a series of selected texts, especially works by Giorgio Caproni and Maurice Blanchot. The methodology of the study is interdisciplinary, ranging across literary theory, postmodern cultural analysis, hermeneutics, and comparative culture analysis.

Paolo Bartoloni teaches Comparative Literature and Italian Studies at the University of Sydney. His research interests include contemporary Italian literature and culture, comparative studies, and translation theory.