TOP 10 20th Century Italian Authors
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Twentieth Century Italian Writers and Literature
Italian Literature of the 20th century was shaped under war, violence and dictatorship. There was a big political transition and the authors were vocal about it. Here are 10 of the best Italian authors from 20th century who went through hard times to reach success and found a way to connect with their readers. Contemporary literature owes a lot to these authors not only in Italy but throughout the world. This article was written to show appreciation for their work.
My introduction to th 20th century Italian Literature was through Italo Calvino's "If On A Winter's Night A Traveler". That book fascinated me so much and I started reading his other books. Since Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco are linguistically close, I then started reading Eco. But Eco, is a whole different puzzle on his own. In order to better understand the second part of the 20th century, I knew I needed to go a little back, to the beginning of 1900's. Italo Svevo was the perfect stepping stone.
One thing that is truly fascinating about Italian literature, and it is because of the richness of their language, the descriptive words are really strong and if you wanted to translate them in different languages, especially non Western languages, you need more than just one word to be able to give the true meanning of descriptions. Some of these authors especially love long phrases, like Eco and Calvino for example. In some translations these long phrases are divided into multiple separate sentences but there are some very successful translations that are faithful to author's style. When I chose a book that is translated, I usually make research about the translator and their previous or other works if available.
My introduction to th 20th century Italian Literature was through Italo Calvino's "If On A Winter's Night A Traveler". That book fascinated me so much and I started reading his other books. Since Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco are linguistically close, I then started reading Eco. But Eco, is a whole different puzzle on his own. In order to better understand the second part of the 20th century, I knew I needed to go a little back, to the beginning of 1900's. Italo Svevo was the perfect stepping stone.
One thing that is truly fascinating about Italian literature, and it is because of the richness of their language, the descriptive words are really strong and if you wanted to translate them in different languages, especially non Western languages, you need more than just one word to be able to give the true meanning of descriptions. Some of these authors especially love long phrases, like Eco and Calvino for example. In some translations these long phrases are divided into multiple separate sentences but there are some very successful translations that are faithful to author's style. When I chose a book that is translated, I usually make research about the translator and their previous or other works if available.
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Italo Svevo
Born Aron Ettore Schmitz (December 19, 1861 - September 13, 1928), Italo Svevo is one of the pioneers of the 20th century Italian Literature. He was highly influenced by Sigmund Freud's psycho-analysis theory when he wrote and self published his book titled "Zeno's Conscience". This book could have easily been vanished on the dusty shelves of history if Svevo hadn't met James Joyce in 1907. During that time Joyce was an unknown young Irish author who was teaching English in Trieste at The Berlitz School. When Svevo became Joyce's student, the long term friendship between the two authors took off, and it helped Svevo publish his first book in English: "Una burla riuscita". In September 1928 Svevo was involved in a car accident. He only survived a few days following this accident and finally died on September 13, 1928.BEST ITALO SVEVO BOOKS
ITALO SVEVO ON WIKIPEDIA
ON ITALO SVEVO'S ZENO'S CONSCIENCE
ITALO SVEVO QUOTES
Best Italo Svevo Books
A short clip from the movie Senilita
This movie was directed by Ettore Schmitz, featuring Claudia Cardinale.
curated content from YouTube
Cesare Pavese
Cesare Pavese (September 9, 1908 - August 27, 1950) was born in Santa Stefano Balbo, his father's native village. Although the family later moved to Turin, when Pavese was a little kid, they always went back to their native town during summers. Pavese graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied English Literature. He was translating books from English and American literature, opening new doors to Italian readers. He was also involved in antifascist movements during the mid 30's, which caused his arrest in 1935. He spent a few months in prison but then was sent to internal exile in Southern Italy. After returning to Turin in 1936 he continued translating books in addition to working as an editor. After the second world war, Pavese joined the communist party and also worked as a journalist for the party's newspaper. Pavese's fiction is dominated by loneliness, isolation and betrayal. His novels deal with social struggle. His most important works are "The Comrade", "Among Women Only", "The Moon and the Bonfire". Pavese committed suicide in 1950.CESARE PAVESE ON WIKIPEDIA
CESARE PAVESE QUOTES
CESARE PAVESE BIOGRAPHY
SOCIO-LINGUISTICS IN CESARE PAVESE'S CIAU MASINO
Cesare Pavese's Best Books
Luigi Pirandello
Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello was born in 1867 to a wealthy family in a village named Kaos. He is known as a dramatist, novelist and short story writer. His works built the foundation of absurd literature. Pirandello wrote some of his most important works in his native Sicilian language including a dissertation on the dialect of his town Kaos. His novellas are collected under the title "Novelle Per Un Anno". It was his plays that received the biggest attention and brought him the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was very close to Mussolini, who helped him take the artistic direction and ownership of the Teatro d'Arte di Roma. This close relationship with the fascist dictator was often the subject of debate in the literary community in Italy... was he just close to Mussolini to get the directorship of the place or was he really a fascist? Pirandello always provoked the readers' curiosity in his works by mixing reality and illusion, truth and falsehood. He died in Rome in 1936.LUIGI PIRANDELLO ON WIKIPEDIA
LUIGI PIRANDELLO BIOGRAPHY
LUIGI PIRANDELLO QUOTES
WAR / A SHORT STORY BY LUIGI PIRANDELLO
Best Books of Luigi Pirandello
Pirandello on TV
A TV Movie about a group of people going to see a Pirandello play in a theater.
curated content from YouTube
Dino Buzzati
Dino Buzzati was born in 1906 in San Pellegrino, Belluno. He was a novelist, a short story writer, a poet and a painter. He also worked as a journalist for the well known and respected Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. He was hired for this position when he was only 22 years old, and while he was still studying law at the University of Milan. Buzzati's style can be characterized as fantastic realism or magical realism. Some of his most important works are "Larger Than Life", "A Love Affair" and "Catastrophe". Buzzati died of cancer in 1972.DINO BUZZATI ON WIKIPEDIA
DINO BUZZATI QUOTES
CATASTROPHE BY DINO BUZZATI / REVIEW
Best Dino Buzzati Books
Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco was born on January 5, 1932 in Alessandria. His interest in medieval history led him to study Medieval Philosophy and Literature at the University of Turin. Although his family raised him as a Catholic, Eco left the church during the mid 50's. He also started to work for RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) as a cultural editor. This job helped him meet a lot of artists and authors and opened the ways for a life in the world of philosophy, literature and linguistics. "Faucault's Pendulum", "The Name of the Rose" and "On Literature" are among many of his works. He also published a number of essays on semiotics.UMBERTO ECO HOMEPAGE
UMBERTO ECO ON WIKIPEDIA
UMBERTO ECO QUOTES
TRAVELING THROUGH HYPERREALITY
SPIEGEL INTERVIEW
UMBERTO ECO ON WIKILEAKS
Top Umberto Eco Books
Have you seen "The Name of the Rose"?
The Name of the Rose is most definitely the most known work of Umberto Eco. This film features Sean Connery (as a monk) and Christian Slater when he was very young. A must see, with a great soundtrack as well. This video is Part 1 of the movie.
curated content from YouTube
The soundtrack of this movie is a must have!
Other books and DVD's about the movie and the novel:
Umberto Eco books
Italo Calvino
Italo Calvino was born in 1923 in Santiago De Las Vegas, Cuba. His father was born in Italy but emigrated to Mexico and then to Cuba in the early 1900's. His mother was also Italian. Two years after Calvino's birth, the family returned to Italy where he would study Agriculture at the University of Turin, mostly because it was his father's wish. In 1943, he transferred to the University of Florence continuing his education in the same domain, passing three more exams. During the World War II, Calvino's family were doing everything in their power to delay him getting drafted. In 1944 Calvino, with the suggestion of his mother joined the clandestine communist group called the Garibaldi Brigades. Calvino eventually became one of Italy's most famous post-war writers. His best known works include "If On A Winter's Night A traveler", "Invisible Cities" and "Cosmocomics". Calvino died of brain hemorrhage in Siena on Sept. 19, 1985.ITALO CALVINO ON WIKIPEDIA
ITALO CALVINO HOMEPAGE
ITALO CALVINO ON THEMODERNWORD.COM
ITALO CALVINO QUOTES
INVISIBLE CITIES REVIEW
Take a look at Calvino's books here
John Turturro reads a short story by Italo Calvino
The story is titled "The False Grandmother" and it will remind you "The Little Red Riding Hood". Only the ending is a little different.
curated content from YouTube
Top 5 Italo Calvino Books
Alberto Moravia
Born Alberto Pincherle (November 28, 1907 - September 26, 1990) Alberto Moravia was an Italian novelist, a short story writer and a journalist. Moravia touched social and contemporary issues in his novels including sex and social alienation. His wife Elsa Morante was also a well known author. When he was only nine years old, Moravia's health worsened and he battled with tubercular infection of the leg bones for many years, spending a long time in sanatoriums. It was during this time that he had started to write. He published his first book titled "Time of Indifference" which is considered as the first European Existentialist novel. In the early 30's, Moravia was the foreign correspondent for two major nespapers: La Stampa and La Gazetta del Popolo. He traveled in the USA and in many European countries. Moravia died in Rome where he spent the majority of his life, in 1990. His most important works are: "La Bella Vita", "L'Epidemia" and "Il Conformista".ALBERTO MORAVIA ON WIKIPEDIA
NEO REALIST AUTHORS: MORAVIA
A WOMAN OF ROME REVIEW
ALBERTO MORAVIA QUOTES
Best Alberto Moravia Books
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini was born in Bologna in 1922. As a novelist, poet, journalist and painter, he was one of the most controversial figures of his time not only in Italy but throughout Europe. He began to write when he was a teenager. He was very much inspired by Arthur Rimbaud, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Shakespeare. When he was studying at the Literature College at the University of Bologna, he became familiar with philology, aesthetics, and figurative art. In 1942, when he was living in Casarsa, waiting for the World War II to end, he got drafted, and as if this was not enough, he was imprisoned by the Germans. Pasolini however managed to escape and go back to Casarsa. He published a poetry collection in 1946. Pasolini was murdered by being run over his own car many times near Rome. He was more famous outside of Italy with his movies rather than his books. Some of his most important works are: "Ragazzi di Vita", "Violent Life" and "Ashes of Gramsci".PASOLINI ON WIKIPEDIA
PASOLINI HOMEPAGE
PASOLINI FILMOGRAPHY
PIER PAOLO PASOLINI QUOTES
Best Pier Paolo Pasolini Books
A collection of Pier Paolo Pasolini movies
More Pier Paolo Pasolini online
Primo Levi
Primo Levi was born in Turin in 1919. He studied chemistry at the University of Turin. Because he was coming from a Jewish family, Levi was arrested during the World War II and was sent to Auschwitz in 1944. This brutal experience opened up the ways for his remarkably powerful memoirs, fiction and poetry. For the most part of his life Levi had to deal with the fact that he survived the Auschwitz Camp. He studied chemistry. He wrote a memoir titled "Se questo è un uomo" about his time in the camp. Levi killed himself at the age of 67, in 1987.PRIMO LEVI ON WIKIPEDIA
PRIMO LEVI CENTER
PRIMO LEVI'S LAST MOMENTS
POEMS OF PRIMO LEVI
Best Primo Levi books
Giuseppe Ungaretti
Giuseppe Ungaretti was born in 1888 in Alexandria, Egypt into a Tuscan family. Life in Egypt had a big influence on him. He always said the exoticism in his book took its roots from his days in Africa. When he was enrolled to a French school in Alexandria, he became familiar with the French literature and literary movements like parnassianism and symbolism. He also became a fan of Charles Beaudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud. When he moved to Paris at the age of 24, he started to attend lectures at the Collège de France and the University of Paris where he became friends with Guillaume Apollinaire. With Apollinaire's influence he became a follower of Cubism and Surrealism. During World War I, Ungaretti became involved in poetry and published a book. He also joined the Fascist Party. Ungaretti died in Milan in 1970. Some of his most important works are: "The Feeling of Time", "The Promised Land" and "The Joy of Shipwrecks".GIUSEPPE UNGARETTI ON WIKIPEDIA
PASOLINI INTERVIEWS UNGARETTI
Best Giuseppe Ungaretti Books
More Giuseppe Ungaretti online
READ MORE ABOUT ITALIAN LITERATURE IN GENERAL
ITALIAN LITERATURE ON WIKIPEDIA
RESOURCES FOR ITALIAN LITERATURE
ITALIAN AUTHORS
MODERN ITALIAN LITERATURE QUIZ
BEST CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN NOVELS / BOOKS
FAMOUS ITALIAN POETS AND POEMS
10 CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN WRITERS
A GUIDE TO CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE
FAMOUS CLASSIC ITALIAN WRITERS
HISTORY OF ITALIAN LITERATURE
RESOURCES FOR ITALIAN LITERATURE
ITALIAN AUTHORS
MODERN ITALIAN LITERATURE QUIZ
BEST CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN NOVELS / BOOKS
FAMOUS ITALIAN POETS AND POEMS
10 CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN WRITERS
A GUIDE TO CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN LITERATURE
FAMOUS CLASSIC ITALIAN WRITERS
HISTORY OF ITALIAN LITERATURE
If you liked this article and want to learn more about the 20th century Italian literature check out these books:
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Share your thoughts on 20th century Italian literature here, or simply tell us what you think about this article
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Mark_Arlen
May 8, 2012 @ 7:07 am | delete
- nice work , keep it continue i like your lens.
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Mark_Arlen
May 8, 2012 @ 7:07 am | delete
- nice work , keep it continue i like your lens.
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nyclittleitaly
Mar 8, 2012 @ 11:49 pm | delete
- Very informative lens.
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Tipi
Nov 7, 2011 @ 2:51 pm | delete
- An excellent tribute to the top ten 20th century Italian authors, sadly, I was not familiar with any of them.
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vauldine Jul 5, 2011 @ 5:00 pm | delete
- I am attracted to Italian composer besides writers. I love their compositons of musical peices.Thaks for a veryu informative lens.
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MagnoliaTree
Jun 27, 2011 @ 6:00 pm | delete
- I really enjoyed going through this lens-- what a trip! Thanks so for sharing-- it is beautiful!
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SereneSea Jun 22, 2011 @ 12:41 am | delete
- There is so much to read, thanks for assembling these great authors together.
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Eleonora_Imazio
Jun 8, 2011 @ 4:35 am | delete
- A really nice selection! Thanks for the lens. Svevo was born in the city where I live now, Trieste, right on the border with Slovenia. It was a long fought territory between Italy and Slovenia. It's a really interesting area from the cultural, social and historical point of view. And yes, it's on the sea and the gulf is beautiful :D
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Tipi
Jun 1, 2011 @ 12:24 am | delete
- Very well done!
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anansigirls
May 27, 2011 @ 7:47 pm | delete
- OOOH! It took me almost 15 minutes to vote because I constantly changed my mind about my favourite Italian writer. This was such an exciting lens. Thank you!
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gypsyman27
May 24, 2011 @ 2:17 pm | delete
- Twentieth century Italian literature, is rich in symbology and very intense. At least that's what I think. This is a very good lens on the subject. I appreciate learning something from that which I have read. See you around the galaxy...
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bercton
May 21, 2011 @ 1:07 pm | delete
- Great lens and great Italian literature.
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karmicchristian
May 17, 2011 @ 12:30 pm | delete
- A lovely chronicle and a beautifully crafted lens. My knowledge of Italian literature sadly is limited to Mario Puzo (American author on Italy) and the God Father series. Great learning. God bless.
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Irenemaria
May 6, 2011 @ 4:56 am | delete
- I am a book fan. Reading is a must and this lens is lovely. Now I am hoping that the translators do a good job to. I read mostly in Swedish
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nickupton
Apr 13, 2011 @ 11:44 pm | delete
- Great lens. I love good literature but Umberto Eco's Faucault's Pendulum is the most awful book I have ever read. I will try some of the other Italian authors here though as you have showcased them so well.
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Umberto Eco's Masterpiece
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose
Amazon Price: $19.12 (as of 05/23/2012)
This would be a good introduction to the world of Umberto Eco. The movie makes things easier to understand, so before you read the book, you might want to check this out. It features Sean Connery (as the monk) and a very young (and naked) Christian Slater.
