The «donne vestite per gli occhi» in Cesare Pavese’s creative production

This essay re-interprets Pavese’s poetic and narrative production to trace the specific figure of the prostitute. The writer depicts this figure thoroughly in his entire production, since his first poems until his last novel, describing many aspects of her role: from the physical appearance of many prostitutes to the places where they exercise their job. In Pavese’s poetics, the figure of the prostitute embodies three main situations, all of them crucial in Pavese’s production: the urban modernity; the alter ego of the Self; and the rite of passage from adolescence to maturity