Migration, Gender, and Writing: The Aesthetics of Rift in Syria Poletti’s Work

Abstract

An examination of Syria Poletti’s work and the predominant aesthetics of rift therein may be approached from an introduction to her life and literary recognition, valid as a way to initially present the author but also from a socio-critical perspective in which much of her production has been read, positing her literature as deeply entangled in her autobiographical experiences and the Italian and Argentinian contexts and histories. In this respect, I draw on Susanna Regazzoni’s essay Italia Argentina [sic] una historia compartida: Syria Poletti [sic] inmigrante italiana, escritora argentina to explain the position of in-betweenness or navigation between different cultures that relate both to her migratory experience and, as shall be shown, to her writing in a very broad sense. I will initially detail, therefore, such biographical data of importance concerning migration and (related) perceptions as a (woman) writer, by herself and others, as a frame to subsequently delve into my contention of a strong aesthetics of rift that formally and thematically characterize her work. Relying on Walter Gardini’s also significant bicultural presentation, Syria Poletti: Mujer de dos mundos, for documentation on her life (where he subsequently presents an autobiographical reading of her work), I will additionally stress his account of the encounter with the author which perfectly illustrates her key concerns both in life and writing for the subject positions of migrants and women.