'Queering the Textual Politics of Alba de Céspedes's Prima e dopo'.

This article focuses on a queer reading of Alba de Céspedes's 1955 novel *Prima e dopo* (Between Then and Now), arguing that the central narrative of desire is not the protagonist Irene’s relationship with her male lover Pietro, but her subversive lesbian desire for her maid, Erminia. It critiques the dominant heteronormative Italian literary historiography that has marginalized queer, specifically lesbian, desire in the novel by privileging autobiographical and political interpretations centered on the Italian Resistance and post-Resistance disillusionment. Through close textual analysis, the article highlights how Irene’s desire for Erminia intersects with issues of class, gender, and political ideals, revealing a radical politics of queer desire that challenges 1950s Italian social norms. The study contributes to the emerging Italian lesbian literary archive and historiography by uncovering the novel’s nuanced portrayal of female same-sex desire and its significance within the post-Resistance cultural context.