I am a PhD Student in both the Classics Department and the Insititute for Comparative Literature and Society.
Born in Bari (south-eastern Italy), I moved to Pisa in 2014, where I gained both my BA (Classics) and MA (Classical Philology) from University of Pisa and Scuola Normale Superiore.
Trained as a philologist, I have always been interested in how the contemporary society engages with classics, in particular how classics can be used to make powerful political and ideological statements against the social status quo. My research is thus based on the intertwining of philology and literary theory and social studies.
My MA thesis, written in Paris, in collaboration with Sorbonne Université’s “Centre de recherche en littérature comparée”, dealt with the French interwar rewritings of some classical plays and put them in dialogue with their nihilistic milieu.
I also spent a term at UCL (London) as an exchange student, where I had the chance to become familiar with the reception theory, which became a crucial tool in my own research ever since.
I am also interested in ancient and modern literary criticism, parody and comic literature in general, as well as in postcolonial and media theory.
In my time here at Columbia I hope to further explore all – or most, at least – of my interests and to combine them in original ways.
Naturally curious, in my spare time I love exploring NYC and its countless cultural events – I am always eager to meet new people and to learn something new.
