Subverting Traditional Western Vampire: Gilda’s Journey of Empowerment. Jewelle Gomez’s The Gilda Stories Translation Proposal

This dissertation analyses Jewelle Gomez’s 1991 novel, The Gilda Stories, a revolutionary work of speculative fiction. The novel centres around Gilda, a Black lesbian who escapes slavery and becomes a vampire. Through the protagonist’s introspective journey, Jewelle Gomez successfully explores complex themes of queerness, identity, and race, subverting the popular notion of vampiric stories as frivolous tales. The central aim of this translation proposal is precisely to introduce this unique vampiric fiction to the Italian literary landscape, offering a new lens for interpreting “humanhood”. The deeply human themes and the unique nature of the novel inspired the creation of a translation proposal of two selected excerpts taken respectively from the first and second chapter of the book. The dissertation is structured into three main chapters: the first chapter focuses on the author and the novel, examining its genre and key themes, and discussing the implications of its translation. The second chapter presents the source texts drawn from the novel and their Italian translations, while the third and final chapter provides the translation commentary, providing a detailed analysis of the specific techniques and approach adopted during the translation process. Ultimately, this work intends to demonstrate the profound complexity that lies beneath The Gilda Stories and its ideal suitability for the current Italian publishing market.