Frontmatter -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1 Why Italian? -- 2 Containers: Introduction to Ties by Domenico Starnone -- 3 Juxtaposition: Introduction to Trick by Domenico Starnone -- 4 In Praise of Echo: Reflections on the Meaning of Translation -- 5 An Ode to the Mighty Optative: Notes of a Would-be Translator -- 6 Where I Find Myself: On Self-Translation -- 7 Substitution: Afterword to Trust by Domenico Starnone -- 8 Traduzione (stra)ordinaria/ (Extra)ordinary translation: On Gramsci -- 9 Lingua / Language -- 10 Calvino Abroad -- (Afterword) Translating Transformation -- Acknowledgments -- Notes on the Essays -- Appendix: Two Essays in Italian -- Selected Bibliography -- Index