Abstrakt
Starting from the observation that in the early 2000s the thematization of immi- gration in the public debate shifted from the issue of security and public order to that of controlling Europe's external borders, the article tries to understand why the experience of borders seems to remain on the fringe of literary discourse. First, I argue that "migrant literature", as it was formalized in Italy in its novelistic forms in the early 1990s, has represented a factor that hinders the narration of the Border in all its spa- tial, temporal, experiential and ideological depth.
I then explain why other narrative forms, such as investigative reports, or artistic forms, such as theater, have proven more effective than testimonial novels. The article concludes with an analysis of two parti- cularly powerful plays, Supplici a Portopalo (2009) by Monica Centanni and Gabriele Vacis, and Rumore di acque (2010) by Marco Martinelli.