The discussion on Italian identity has recently been brought to the attention
of the public opinion in Italy as an outcome of the so-called “fine della prima
Repubblica” (“end of the first Republic”). Literary identity has soon become a
core issue, in order to promote a reflection on the idea of Italy independently of
its political unity. This essay aims to reconstruct the various positions pro and
contra the hypothesis of a literary identity, which can be seen, on the one hand,
as an outcome of Risorgimento and Fascist propaganda, but also, on the other
hand, as a means to overcome political divides and develop a shared rather than
ethnical community.