Identity of the names of the changing history of Rossomanno and Petra. Nino Savarese, between real and fictitious places

Abstract

Nino Savarese (born in Castrogiovanni, now Enna, in 1882 and passed away in Rome in 1945) is a writer whose place within the literary canon remains somewhat undefined. This is due to his body of work consisting mainly of short stories and moral or fantastical “operettas.” This study aims to analyze the first two works from his realistic-historical-sociological trilogy, written in the 1930s: Rossomanno (1935), I fatti di Petra (1937), and Il Capo popolo (1940). While the first work stands apart, the latter two delve into events in central Sicily, specifically focusing on the cereal feud, which is the author’s birthplace and lived experience. Amidst the dominations, conflicts, and uprisings, one element remains constant—the land and its names. Savarese takes note of this aspect and emphasizes the connection between names and identity, as well as the correlation between places and the unfolding events.