He is a lover of literature Italian and promotes it in Canada and in the world, through the teaching and cultural exchanges that it has been having for years with some of the most prestigious universities. Gabriel Niccoli is an appreciated university professor of Italian descent. He has left his homeland for several years, but has never severed the umbilical cord that binds him to Calabria and, as soon as he can, he never misses an opportunity to return.
A life spent on knowledge
He started in the 60s from Grimaldi, his town, in the province of Cosenza, when he was just fifteen when, together with his family, he moved to Vancouver (Canada). He earned a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of British Columbia. He teaches Italian language, culture and literature at the universities of Victoria and Washington. He married Francesca, a doctor, Italian like him, moreover from his own country of origin, and moved with her to Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) in 1984. They have two children: Pascal and Flora, to whom they transmit their love for knowledge. He teaches at the University of St. Jerome, then at that of Waterloo, where he is full professor, now emeritus, of Italian and French studies and president of the department. He always maintains a strong bond with his land, also through the lessons he periodically holds at the University of Calabria.
Gabriel Niccoli, emigration and the dear concept of "nostos"
Author of several publications, he also writes essays on Italian-Canadian immigration, a field dear to him, as is the concept of “nostos” (from the Greek, “return”). Recipient of various awards, in Italy and Canada, in 2018, he received the "Dante Alighieri" Culture Award in Cosenza. He is a member of various editorial committees of literary magazines both in Canada and Italy, and participates in a myriad of conferences from Vancouver to Venice, to Hangzhou (China). At the University of Florence he founded, with his Italian colleagues Concetta Bianca and Enzo D'Angelo, the International Conference on Conservation and Preservation. For his academic and social commitment, he was appointed honorary vice-consul of Italy in Canada, a position he held for several years. In this interview he tells us something more about his work and love for his land.
Professor, what interest does Italian culture arouse in Canadian students?
«Italian culture in Canada, highly appreciated in its most varied facets, be it literature, language, fine arts, music and so on, and not just in the university sphere, continues to arouse a great deal of interest. It is considered, by the most educated, the mother culture with regard to the Western humanistic advent. As for Canadian students, it remains a driving force for greater learning of the two official cultures (in addition to the indigenous ones) in Canada: the English and the French ».
The Italian language is too often mistreated and invaded by neologisms. Language deficiencies are increasingly evident and social networks testify to this on a daily basis. Do you think it is still possible to "save her" and how?
“For us university professors who work in the field of Italian studies abroad, this babelic linguistic barbarism arouses a certain giggle suffused with irritation. I believe a possible salvation lies in the emulation, by the competent Italian institutions, both governmental (cultural heritage and activities, for example) and academic (I am thinking of the Crusca), of the serious and effective measures undertaken to protect the purity of the language French on the part not only of the Académie française, but also, in an even more familiar context for us Canadians, of the Québec government ”.
Gabriel Niccoli, is the author, among others, of a book dedicated to the writers of the Italian Renaissance. In your opinion, what was the most representative of that period and why?
“Our sixteenth century has given us a great flowering of feminine and even proto-feminist literature. In this context, although Vittoria Colonna is commonly pointed out by most of the critics as one of the most representative (it was well triggered in the publishing market), I think that Veronica Franco (much studied in North America by young PhD students) and Gaspara Stampa, are among the most original voices. After that, there is always the question of access to cultural centers which, for well-known reasons, were minor in the south of Italy. Nonetheless, writers such as Isabella Di Morra and Lucrezia della Valle remain among the voices with the highest poetic resonance ”.
In Italy, young people continue to leave. You, who have experienced this phenomenon firsthand, what differences do you see between yesterday's and today's emigration?
“Well, let's say right away that today's young emigrants are mostly graduates, or at least high school graduates, and therefore leaving Italy for them is a choice, most of the time motivated by the greater opportunities for strengthening their particular professions or trades. Of course, it is no longer the emigration it once was. Now they are adults who make a thoughtful, farsighted choice. They are very prepared, and not only linguistically, to face the new challenges. In my particular case, having emigrated very young, I must say that it was a stimulating adventure for me. Not the same, however, for my parents and for many others, who emigrated decades ago, whom I have had the opportunity to observe over the years ".
The return to the roots. You, how much is anchored to the concept of Nostos?
“I am completing the editing of a volume with as many as twenty contributors (Canadian and Italian scholars) right on Nostos in Italian-Canadian literature. There is no doubt that the idea of return is a supporting structure of the migratory phenomenon. Many studies converge on the fundamental importance of Nostos (real or imagined) as regards the construction or evolution of one's own identity, healthy and proactive, in a "foreign land". Personally, I must say that for me, returning, and with a certain frequency, assumes a value, I would say, vital. It is rediscovering the ego and not its shadow".
He collaborates with several Italian universities, including that of Calabria. What is your contribution in these cultural exchanges?
“For a couple of decades I have coordinated the exchange agreement at all levels between the University of Waterloo and the University of Calabria, as well as the“ Waterloo in Calabria ”program, which I founded. I have also drawn up agreements and letters of intent with other Italian universities and institutes, such as Florence, Bologna, Magna Graecia and others, during my period as the rectors of the University of Waterloo. I continue to be privileged by the excellent collaboration of the many and dear colleagues of Unical, where I often find myself for various conferences or lessons. I take this opportunity to thank again the former rector of the University of Calabria and dear friend, Giovanni Latorre, for having strongly wanted this agreement ”.
He was honorary vice consul of Italy in Canada. What satisfaction has this position given you?
“Now that I have left the office for having reached the age limit, I say that one of the honors of my life has been to represent Italy in an official capacity. In the six years of my service to the Fatherland, I could really cite many occasions of great satisfaction: from the great official meetings that the office gave me the opportunity to experience, to the great and precious humility of some users who have greatly enriched my sense of Humanitas Christian. Particular satisfactions were: having made it possible to acquire Italian citizenship for young athletes, who were thus able to play professionally in Italian hockey and football teams, living in the places of their ancestors ".
Grimaldi is his country of origin. What are the fondest memories you keep of your land?
"The soul of the place, the sense of the place Grimaldi, its flavors, its colors, the view of the town from the top of its mountains, the scent of the broom, and of the violets in spring. But also the solitary walk in the quiet of the cemetery, along its paths, a prece to negotiate a dialogue with our deceased loved ones. And I could go to infinite. We would need the words of our great anthropologist Vito Teti, words that unfortunately I do not have. And then, of course, the memories of childhood, when the "Grimaldi world" was ancient and fabulous ".
(Photo Gabriel Niccoli, Antonietta Malito)
