Giorgio de Chirico’s posthumous novel, translated by Stefania Heim
The painter’s unpublished novel, an account of the misadventures of his autobiographical hero—a painter who wanders, dreams, remembers, frets, polemicizes, and tells stories. Translated from Italian for the first time into English.
Published by A Public Space Books
Shortlisted for the 2025 Italian Prose in Translation Award.
From the Judges:
In this posthumously-published novel written by metaphysical artist Giorgio de Chirico, known for his paintings of classical piazzas, the autobiographical protagonist Mr. Dudron passionately denounces modern art and its decadence, finds himself on hilarious adventures, ponders his own work as a painter, carefully observes the natural world, the city, humanity, tells stories about spaghetti and mayonnaise, and more. Stefania Heim confidently and beautifully guides us through his meandering journey, her English syntax mirroring that of the Italian, thus preserving the movement and composition of each sentence. Playful yet serious, spontaneous yet driven by one persistent concern, Mr. Dudron achieves an incredible amount within this slim text.
Stefania Heim 