“That was a touching exhortation, dear Armadillo”: English translation of the graphic novel LA PROFEZIA DELL’ARMADILLO by Zerocalcare

The aim of this work is to present a translation into English of the graphic novel La Profezia dell’Armadillo by Zerocalcare, published in 2012 by Bao Publishing. It is worth specifying that the translation proposed in this dissertation is specifically targeted at the North American market. The first chapter offers a theoretical framework by giving a definition of the medium of comics and the medium of the graphic novel. It then briefly outlines the history of comics in the United States, and how the development of comics has led to the modern graphic novel. The second chapter outlines the development of comics in Italy, with a particular emphasis on those stages that have had a strong influence on the modern graphic novel. A number of the most important Italian graphic novelists are also presented: Vanna Vinci, Davide Toffolo, and Gipi. The third chapter is dedicated entirely to Zerocalcare and La Profezia dell’Armadillo. It first gives a brief biographical outline on the author, his recent works and his success. Later, the narrative, linguistic, and stylistic style of the graphic novel is analyzed. The fourth chapter presents an in-depth comment on the translation proposed. The most prominent and challenging translation problems are divided into three categories (problems relating to the comics medium, to the language, or to cultural references) and analyzed. The appendix of the dissertation includes two interviews carried out by email: the first is to Zerocalcare, while the second is to Michele Foschini, the CEO of Bao Publishing. The appendix also includes the complete translation of the graphic novel.