A Name on the Move in a Shifting Europe: Orlando in Brandenburg by Rosso di San Secondo

Abstract

Orlando in Brandenburg is a novel conceived in the late 1920s and long absent from Rosso di San Secondo’s bibliography—a disappearance resulting from the author’s own decision, a personal act of damnatio memoriae. Written during his stay in Berlin, in a Germany morally shattered by the aftermath of World War I, the novel reflects the Sicilian playwright’s fascist ideology through the vitalistic energy and coarse demeanor of its protagonist. The central figure is Paoluccio Criscemi, a young immigrant from Giardini, in the province of Messina, who repeatedly changes his name and titles throughout the narrative, mirroring the transformative experiences that shape his journey.