Remy de Gourmont e il dibattito sulla traduzione in Francia tra la fine dell'Ottocento e l'inizio del Novecento

In his extensive critical production, Remy de Gourmont (1858-1915) gives great prominence to foreign literatures, «ces souffles venus du dehors» without which French literature would not exist, as the author writes in his article Les traducteurs included in the fifth series of Promenades littéraires (1913). His approach, which could be defined “transcultural” ante-litteram, is characterized by an extremely modern and contemporary perspective, based on the ideas of dialogue and cultural exchange. Along these lines, the author praises translators for their work, and gives them the credit which his contemporaries were often denying.