Top 12 Italian Writers

Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321)

He was a poet of the Late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance. He is known as "the Supreme Poet". His main work is “The Divine Comedy”a poem written beetwen 1308 and 1320. The poem's imaginative vision of the afterlife is described by the author according to the medieval world-view of Western Church during the 14th century. The Divine Comedy describes the poet’s travels through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise.

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 – 1375)

He was a poet and an important Renaissance humanist. He wrote “The Decameron”, which is considered a masterpiece of classical early Italian prose. It is a collection of 100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men sheltering in a villa outside Florence because the city was afflicted by the Black Death. The tales have different topic through which all the characters give life lessons. The Decameron also influenced for example Chaucer's “The Canterbury Tales”.

Alessandro Manzoni (1785 – 1873)

He was a poet and novelist, famous for the novel “I promessi sposi” (The Betrothed) which is a symbol of the Italian Risorgimento: it has a patriotic message and it is considered also a fundamental milestone in the development of the modern, unified Italian language. Indeed, the writer helped to create a linguistic unity throughout Italy. The plot is set during the Spanish occupation of Lombardy in the late 1620s and it talks about two young lovers, Lucia and Renzo.

Carlo Collodi (1826 – 1890)

He was an author and journalist who supported the Italian Risorgimento during the Austrian domination. With the founding of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, he ceased his journalistic activities and began writing for children. He is known as the creator of “Pinocchio”, the puppet hero of the story who was carved out of a piece of wood by the old wood-carver Geppetto. The puppet acts like a human child but, when he tells a lie, his nose grows longer.

Luigi Pirandello (1867 –1936)

He was a sicilian dramatist, novelist and poet. He won the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature. Pirandello's works include novels, short stories, plays. With the play Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore (Six Characters in Search of an Author), he became an important innovator in modern drama. He wrote also “Uno, nessuno e centomila” (One, No One, and a Hundred Thousand), in which a hero discorvers that his wife (and others) see him with quite different eyes than he does himself.

Goliarda Sapienza (1924 – 1996)

She started to study theatre and she worked as an actor in films and plays. In 1958 she focused on writing and her most famous novel is “L’arte della gioia” (The Art of Joy). As its title suggests, the book is a novel of instruction about female freedom against the patriarchal society, which wants women in their traditional role. At that time, this work was rejected by publishers because of its length (over 700 pages) but it was first published by her husband Angelo Pellegrino after her death.

Andrea Camilleri (1925 -)

He is a contemporary author from Italy. His novels are about the adventures of the detective Montalbano. From this books, it was created a series, which has been adapted for Italian television and translated in different languages. The author was born at Porto Empedocle, near Agrigento. His style is very particular because he mixes Italian and local dialect without however making it unreadable for those who are not from that part of Italy. He has won numerous homestigious literary awards.

Oriana Fallaci (1929 – 2006)

She was an Italian journalist, author, and political interviewer. During World War II she joined the Italian anti-fascist resistance movement. She had a long and successful journalistic career and became famous worldwide her interviews with many world leaders. She worked also as a war correspondent covering Vietnam and in South America. Her most important books are “Lettera a un bambino mai nato” (Letter to a child never born) and “Intervista con la storia” (Interview with History).

Umberto Eco (1932 – 2016)

He was an Italian novelist, literary critic, philosopher, semiotician, and university professor. He is known for his 1980 novel “Il nome della rosa” (The Name of the Rose), a murder mistery in which combining semiotics in fiction with biblical analysis, medieval studies, and literary theory. It is set in a 14th-century Italian monastery. There is also a film version appeared in 1986.

Elena Ferrante (1943 -)

She is a pseudonymous of an italian author who never reveals her real identity. She wrote a series which is set in Naples and recount the friendship of two women, Elena and Lila, from youth to adulthood, during the political and social changes in the 60s and 70s. The most famous book is “L’amica geniale” (My Brilliant Friend) which was used to create a TV series. In September 2018, the first two episodes of the My Brilliant Friend were aired at the Venice Film Festival.

Susanna Tamaro (1957 -)

In 1994, the author wrote “Va' dove ti porta il cuore” (Follow your Heart). The book was an international bestseller. The story is about Olga, an elderly woman who decides to write a long letter to her granddaughter in America, in which Olga reveals to the relative their family's secrets. This novel was translated into more than 35 languages. There is also a movie directed by Cristina Comencini. In 2006, she wrote Ascolta la mia voce (Listen to my voice), a sequel of Follow your Heart.

Roberto Saviano (1979 -)

He is a journalist, writer and essayist. He wrote "Gomorrah" (his debut novel) in which he investigated on the economic reality of Italy and the business of the Camorra and organized crimes. After the first death threats of 2006 made by the Casalese clan, a cartel of the Camorra, Roberto Saviano was put under a strict security protocol. Since October 13, 2006, he has lived under police protection.