Unwitting literary connections between Europe and East Asia: From a scholar-beauty novel to Carducci and beyond

The author of the article discovered the original Chinese version of the first translation of a Chinese poem in Italian literature. This translation, to be found in Documenti per la Storia universale by Cesare Cantù, inspired Giosuè Carducci to compose the poem Primavera cinese. In addition to identifying the original version of the Chinese poem and the novel in which it was included, the author located its French translation, compiled by Jean-Pierre Abel-Rémusat. The article outlines a brief summary of the earliest traces left by Chinese texts within Italian literature, drawing a temporal line connecting the original Chinese poem, the French version by Rémusat, the translation by Cantù and Primavera cinese. It also provides information on the main features and the historical relevance of the Chinese novel. Finally, the article highlights other lines of diffusion of the original Chinese poem in Korean literature.