The Leucothea Dialogues

This elliptical 1947 work from Pavese (The House on the Hill), comprising 27 existentialist scenes with characters from Greek and Roman mythology and commentary from the author, is revived in a lively translation by Proctor. It opens with a searching and witty introduction from Proctor staged as a monologue given by Ovid’s mortal protagonist Arachne, who subtly accounts for the “exhausted” translator’s liberties, such as the change in title from the literal dialogues with Leucò. Arachne suggests that Pavese, who died by suicide shortly after finishing the book, was not done with it, thus inviting the “hubris” of a translator such as Proctor. Recurring motifs among the conversations between gods, monsters, heroes, and ordinary mortals include questions of fate, as in “Blind,” when Tiresius tells Oedipus not to sweat it so much (“I think we talk too much about the gods. When it comes to bad luck, being blind isn’t that different from being alive. Things go wrong when it’s their time to go wrong”). Still, the gods hang heavy in the mortals’ hearts, especially Endymion, who, in “Beast,” describes his lust for “virgin goddess” Artemis to a stranger, claiming that when he’s in her company, he’s immortal. Throughout, Proctor ably captures the tension between Pavese’s conversational tone and harrowing themes. Pavese devotees will gain further appreciation of the author from Proctor’s worthy effort. (Oct.)