«Sapeme piu che Bertoldo...» : ο «Μπερτόλδος» του Giulio Cesare Croce : λογοτεχνικό, εκδοτικό και κοινωνικό-πνευματικό μοντέλο στις χώρες της Νοτιο-Ανατολικής Ευρώπης

Abstract

The paper reveals the social and ethnic identity of the readers of G. C. Croce's
book Bertoldo (Milan, 1606).The text was translated repeatedly into Greek and then
into other Balkan languages and adapted to the local cultural milieu. In the 18th and
19th centuries it circulated among a larger public, consisting of clergymen, scholars,
Greek-speaking nobles and landowners, and craftsmen and merchants as well.
Since the level of the readers' education was stadity rising, the book no longer
corresponded to the requirements of the time and was replaced by original works
and translations from European literature. Initially appreciated for its moral values,
it eventually became a reading book for school children.
The history of the book is thus related to the continuous improvement of the
knowledge of the reading public. Its identity was not always the same, but changed
according to the social evolution in the Balkans. The analysis shows that, with
respect to popular literature, one has to take into account the relationship between a
certain book and its readers at a certain moment in time.