Anna Maria Ortese (; June 13, 1914 – March 9, 1998) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

author of

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, and

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. Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, she grew up between

southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

and

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, with her formal education ending at age thirteen. Her first book, ''Angelici dolori'', was issued in 1937. In 1953 her third collection, '' Il mare non bagna Napoli'', won the coveted

Viareggio Prize The Viareggio Prize ( it, Premio Viareggio, italic=no or ) is an Italian literary prize, first awarded in 1930. Named after the Tuscan city of Viareggio, it was conceived by three friends, , Carlo Salsa and Leonida Rèpaci, to rival the Milanese ...

; thereafter, Ortese's stories, novels, and journalism received many of the most distinguished Italian literary awards, including the

Strega Strega, the Italian word for ''witch'', may refer to: *Strega, a group of pagan magic users who are part of the protectors of Venice in the Heirs of Alexandria series by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer *Stregheria, or the Strega traditi ...

and the Fiuggi. Although she lived for many years in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she also resided in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, in Rome, and for most of the last twenty years of her life in

Rapallo Rapallo ( , , ) is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, located in the Liguria region of northern Italy. As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and Chiavar ...

. ''L'iguana'', Ortese’s best known work in English translation, was published in 1987 as ''

The Iguana ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' by the American literary press McPherson & Company.

Early life

Born in Rome, she was the fifth of six children born to Beatrice Vaccà and Oreste Ortese. Her father worked for the

Italian government The government of Italy is in the form of a democratic republic, and was established by a constitution in 1948. It consists of legislative, executive, and judicial subdivisions, as well as a Head of State, or President. The Italian Constitutio ...

, and the family moved frequently."Ortese, Anna Maria (1914-1998)"
''Italian Women Writers'', University of Chicago. With an extensive reference section. In January 1933, her brother, Emmanuel, with whom she was very close, died in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

, where his ship had docked. His death drove her to write.

Career

Her first poems were published in the magazine ''La Sierra Lettering''. Her work was well-received, and she was encouraged to write further. The following year, the same magazine published her first short story, ''La Pellerossa''. In 1937, Massimo Bontempelli, writer for ''La Bompiani'' and Ortese's mentor, published another of her short stories, ''Angelici dolori''. Although this story received favorable reviews, it drew criticism from prominent literary critics Falqui and Vigorelli. Despite her promising start, her inspiration and motivation waned. In 1939, she traveled from

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, where she found employment as a

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with the local newspaper ''Il Gazzetino''. With

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

approaching, Ortese returned to

, where she had once lived with her family. It was there that she was once again inspired to write. At the end of the war, Anna worked as a writer for the magazine ''Sud''. Her parents died in 1950 and 1953. During this time, she published her second and third books: ''L'Infanta sepolta'' and ''Il mare non bagna Napoli''. The latter consisted of five pieces which depicted the abject conditions of Naples following the war; it became highly acclaimed and was awarded the

. It is from the collection's first chapter that the movie ''Un paio di occhiali'' was adapted and presented at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

in 2001. From the mid-1950s to the late 60s, Anna traveled and wrote extensively. She returned to

in 1967 and wrote a book, ''Poveri e semplici'', for which she was awarded the

Strega Prize The Strega Prize ( it, Premio Strega ) is the most prestigious Italian literary award. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction written in the Italian language by an author of any nationality and first published ...

. In her later years, Ortese became more isolated until the age of seventy-five, when she moved

to live with her sister. At the age of 80, she began corresponding with

Beppe Costa Beppe Costa (born Concetto Costa, on , Catania, Italy) is an Italian poet, novelist and publisher. Biography The beginning Born into a poor family grows, however, in an environment rich in books. He published the first volume of poems in 19 ...

, who encouraged her to publish ''Il treno russo''. Soon after, Anna accepted the proposal to republish many of her earlier novels. One, ''L'iguana'', was translated into English by McPherson & Company in 1987, and into

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by Gallimard in 1988. (An Italian feature film of ''L'iguana'', directed by Catherine McGilvray, was released in 2004.) Another, ''Il cardillo addolorato'', topped the Italian fiction list. In 1987, a collection of her short stories, ''A Music Behind the Wall: Selected Stories'', was published.

Death

She died peacefully at the age of 84 in her home in

in March 1998. Only after her death did her work receive international recognition and praise.

Awards

1953 for ''Il mare non bagna Napoli'' *

1967 for ''Poveri e semplici'' * Fiuggi Prize 1986 for ''L'iguana'' * Procida-Elsa Morante Prize 1998 for ''In Sonno e in Veglia'' *

Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger The Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger (Best Foreign Book Prize) is a French literary prize created in 1948. It is awarded yearly in two categories: Novel and Essay for books translated into French. Prix du Meilleur livre étranger — Novel *2020: ...

1998 for the French edition of ''Il Cardillo Adolorato'' (''la Douleur du chardonneret'')

Bibliography

Novels

* ''L'iguana'' (1965) ** * ''Poveri e semplici'' (1967) * ''Il porto di Toledo'' (1975) * ''Il cappello piumato'' (1979) * ''Il cardillo addolorato'' (1993) ** * ''Alonso e i visionari'' (1996)

Short stories

* ''Angelici dolori'' (1937) * ''L'Infanta sepolta'' (1950) * ''Il mare non bagna Napoli'' (1953) ** ** * ''I giorni del cielo'' (1958) * ''La luna sul muro e altri racconti'' (1968) * ''L'alone grigio'' (1969) * ''Estivi terrori'' (1987) * ''La morte del Folletto'' (1987) * ''In sonno e in veglia'' (1987) * ''Il monaciello di Napoli - Il fantasma'' (2002) - stories originally published between 1940 and 1942 * ''Mistero doloroso'' (2010) - previously unpublished stories Two volumes of her selected short stories, translated by Henry Martin and published under the collective title ''A Music Behind the Wall'', appeared in 1994 and 1998 from McPherson & Company.

Essays and travel writing

* ''Silenzio a Milano'' (1958) - articles published in the 1950s * ''Il treno russo'' (1983) - reportage * ''Il mormorio di Parigi'' (1986) - articles published around 1961 * ''La lente scura. Scritti di viaggio'' (1991) - travel writings * ''Le giacchette grigie della Nunziatella'' - articles from 1945-1947 * ''Corpo celeste'' (1997) - writings from 1974 to 1989 * ''Da Moby Dick all'Orsa Bianca'' (2011) - writings on literature and art, published between 1939 and 1994 * ''Le Piccole Persone'' (2016) - in defence of animals and other writings, some previously unpublished

Notes

References

* Reed, Cosetta S. "Biography: Ortese, Anna Maria," N.p., 2004.
"Anna Maria Ortese"
''The Times Literary Supplement,'' 29 January 1970.