Literature crosses borders because of people like Renata Marchetti. We owe her so much that we don't even know how to count it.
4 weeks ago
Renata Sofia Marchetti
February 14, 1975 – May 26, 2026 · 51 years
"She translated the world into something more beautiful."
Biography
Renata Sofia Marchetti was a literary translator, writer, and cultural ambassador born in Florence, Italy, who spent most of her adult life between Rome and Chicago. She translated over 40 works of Italian literature into English — several of which became international bestsellers — and introduced American audiences to voices they would otherwise never have encountered. Renata was also a gifted novelist herself, though she always said the translating was the more interesting work. She is survived by her husband David, son Luca, and an unfinished translation she considered the best work of her life.
Messages & Tributes (10)
+ Write a MessageShe translated my grandmother's letters from Italian for me when I found them in a box after her death. She did it without charge and spent two hours explaining the context. I wept. Renata just handed me more tissues.
4 weeks ago
She gave a talk at my translation studies program and said: you are not a bridge. You are the river itself. I have carried that with me into every project.
1 month ago
I gave her my novel to translate. She returned it more itself than I had written it. That is the only way I can describe what she did.
1 month ago
Renata brought more Italian literature to English readers than any translator of her generation. She understood that translation is an act of love.
1 month ago
Mamma, you always said the hardest words to translate were the ones with no equivalent. I know one now: you.
1 month ago
Renata, you translated the world for so many people. I still need you to translate this grief into something I can carry.
1 month ago
She and I met at a conference in Edinburgh and argued about Calvino for three hours over wine. I have never had a better evening.
4 weeks ago
Her own novel "Il Porto dei Sogni" is a masterpiece. I hope it finds the translator worthy of it that Renata deserves.
4 weeks ago
I read "The Stone Fishermen" in Renata's translation. Then I learned Italian so I could read the original. The original was not better. That is how good she was.
1 month ago