MARCO CUGNO: IL DONO DELLE PAROLE

The paper aims to outline the intellectual and human biography of Marco Cugno (1939-2011), one of the most distinguished Italian scholars of Romanian literature of the second half of the 20th century. The author sketches out the historical and cultural context of Cugno’s encounter with Romanian language and literature during his tenure as a Reader in Italian Language and Literature at the University of Bucharest (1965-1969) and his subsequent transition from Italian to Romanian Studies. The development of Cugno’s career as a scholar of Romanian literature is followed from his first publications in the field upon his returning to Italy up to his latest publications, through his long and fruitful years as a university professor of Romanian Language and Literature at the University of Turin. The fundamental coordinates of his research in Romanian literature are analysed from a thematic and methodological point of view.