Science Fiction and Italian Identity in SUNY Press New Release
We are thrilled to announce that Weird Italy has officially contributed to the forthcoming academic volume Italian/American Fantastika: Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction from Pinocchio to Star Trek, scheduled for release in February 2026 by the State University of New York (SUNY) Press. Edited by professors Marc DiPaolo of Moraine Valley Community College and Anthony Lioi of The Juilliard School, this ambitious project represents the first comprehensive scholarly examination of how Italian ethnic identity intersects with the expansive universe of speculative fiction.
The book examines the role of horror, science fiction, and fantasy as narrative tools for understanding migration, cultural identity, and political history. Rather than viewing these genres as mere entertainment, the contributing authors analyze how “Fantastika” provides a framework for rethinking what it means to be Italian in a globalized, twenty-first-century context. The chapters cover a wide range of subjects, from the futurist fantasies of the early 20th century to modern interpretations of the genre in comic books, television series like NBC’s Heroes, and the works of directors such as Dario Argento and Guillermo del Toro.
Weird Italy participated in the project through two specific contributions by Dominique Musorrafiti and Matteo Damiani. The first is an interlude titled Weird Italy: Dante and Italian Genre Fiction, which discusses the influence of Dante’s imagery on the development of Italian speculative tropes. The second is an extensive Appendix, The Canon of Speculative Fiction of the Italian Diaspora, which offers a chronological catalog of genre works from antiquity to the modern era, intended as a reference for future research in the field.
As a volume cataloged by the Library of Congress, the book is designed for both academic researchers and general readers interested in ethnic studies and genre history. By documenting the breadth of Italian contributions to the fantastic, the publication aims to establish a more formal recognition of these narratives within the broader landscape of world literature and cinema.
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