Antonio Scurati (born 25 June 1969) is an Italian writer and academic. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious
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 ...
for his novel ''
M: Son of the Century'' (2018).
Early life and education
Scurati was born 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 ...
to a Neapolitan mother and a father from
Cusano Milanino
Cusano Milanino (local lmo, Cusan ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, in Lombardy. Cusano Milanino is about 13 kilometers far from the center of Milan.
It borders Paderno Dugnano, Cinisello Balsamo, Cormano and Bresso.
...
. He graduated with a degree in
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
from the
University of Milan
The University of Milan ( it, Università degli Studi di Milano; la, Universitas Studiorum Mediolanensis), known colloquially as UniMi or Statale, is a public research university in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe ...
. He continued his studies at the
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences
The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (french: École des hautes études en sciences sociales; EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and ''grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The ...
in Paris. Scurati later completed a
PhD in Theory and Text Analysis at the
University of Bergamo
The University of Bergamo ( it, Università degli Studi di Bergamo; acronym: UniBG) is an Italian public university located in Bergamo, Italy. It was founded on 11 December 1968 and is organized in seven departments, three campuses and forty-one ...
. He worked as a
professore a contratto at Bergamo, where he coordinated a center for studying the languages of war and violence. At Bergamo, he also taught the theory and elements of television language. In 2005, he became a researcher in Cinema, Photography, Television. In 2008, he moved to the
IULM University of Milan
The IULM University - Milan ( it, Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM ) is a university located in Milan, Italy. It was founded in 1968 and is organized in four faculties.
.
History and profile
The University Institute for ...
, where he is currently an associate professor and conducts a
creative writing
Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...
seminar and a seminar in
orality
Orality is thought and verbal expression in societies where the technologies of literacy (especially writing and print) are unfamiliar to most of the population. The study of orality is closely allied to the study of oral tradition.
The term "ora ...
and
rhetoric
Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
.
Career
In 2003, he published the essay ''Guerra. Narrazioni e culture nella tradizione occidentale'', which was a finalist for the
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 ...
. His novel ''Il sopravvissuto'' (2005) was awarded (in a tie with
Pino Roveredo) the 43rd
Premio Campiello
The ''Premio Campiello'' is an annual Italian literary prize.
A Jury of Literary Experts (''Giuria di letterati'' in Italian) identifies books published during the year and, in a public hearing, selects five of those as finalists. These books ar ...
.
The novel was also awarded the for Fiction. In 2006, a revised edition of Scurati's debut novel, ''Il rumore sordo della battaglia'', was published. In 2006, Scurati published the essay "''La letteratura dell'inesperienza. Scrivere romanzi al tempo della televisione''": a reflection on media,
Dadaism
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Paris ...
, literature and
humanism
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humani ...
.
Scurati's writing has appeared in the weekly publication and the daily newspaper ''
La Stampa
''La Stampa'' (meaning ''The Press'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Turin, Italy. It is distributed in Italy and other European nations. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Italy.
History and profile
The paper was fou ...
''. In 2007, he published the
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
''Una storia romantica''. In the same year, Scurati produced a documentary for the Italian company
Fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
. The documentary, ''La stagione dell'amore'', is a film that investigates themes of love in contemporary Italian society, continuing the investigation conducted by director
Pier Paolo Pasolini
Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...
in his film ''
Love Meetings
''Love Meetings'' (''Comizi d'amore'') is a 1965 feature-length documentary, shot by Italian writer and director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who also acts as the interviewer, appearing in many scenes.
Plot
Typical for him, Pasolini's subject is sex: he ...
'' (1965). In 2009, he published ''Il bambino che sognava la fine del mondo'', a novel that mixes reality and fiction and is a fierce criticism of
mass media
Mass media refers to a diverse array of media technologies that reach a large audience via mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place include a variety of outlets.
Broadcast media transmit information ...
and the
information economy
Information economy is an economy with an increased emphasis on informational activities and information industry, where information is valued as a capital good. The term was coined by Marc Porat, a graduate student at Stanford University, who ...
as a whole.
In 2010, he published ''Gli anni che non stiamo vivendo. Il tempo della cronaca'', a collection of articles on contemporary topics of crime, politics and current affairs. In the same year, he addressed the same topics in the column "Lettere dal nord" within the television program . In 2015, he published ''Il tempo migliore della nostra vita'', a biographical novel dedicated to the life of
Leone Ginzburg
Leone Ginzburg (, , ; 4 April 1909 – 5 February 1944) was an Italian editor, writer, journalist and teacher, as well as an important anti-fascist political activist and a hero of the resistance movement. He was the husband of the renowned auth ...
. It was awarded the
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 ...
and was a finalist for the
Premio Campiello
The ''Premio Campiello'' is an annual Italian literary prize.
A Jury of Literary Experts (''Giuria di letterati'' in Italian) identifies books published during the year and, in a public hearing, selects five of those as finalists. These books ar ...
.
On 20 September 2019, the ''
Corriere della Sera
The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015.
First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...
'' announced that Scurati would begin writing a column for the newspaper. His first article, concerning
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different eut ...
, appeared in the newspaper on 28 September 2019.
''M'' tetralogy
In September 2018, Scurati published the novel ''
M: Son of the Century'' ( it, M. Il figlio del secolo, label=none), the first volume in a series of four books about
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. The
tetralogy
A tetralogy (from Greek τετρα- ''tetra-'', "four" and -λογία ''-logia'', "discourse") is a compound work that is made up of four distinct works. The name comes from the Attic theater, in which a tetralogy was a group of three tragedies ...
intends to tell the history of Italy beginning on 23 March 1919, the day the
Italian Fasces of Combat
The ''Fasci Italiani di Combattimento'' ( en, Italian Fasces of Combat, link=yes, also translatable as ''"Italian Fighting Bands"'' or ''"Italian Fighting Leagues"'') was an Italian Fascist organization created by Benito Mussolini in 1919. It wa ...
was founded, and ending in 1945. The novel concludes with Mussolini's speech to the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
on 3 January 1925, which officially established Italy as a dictatorship following the political crisis caused by the murder of
Giacomo Matteotti
Giacomo Matteotti (; 22 May 1885 – 10 June 1924) was an Italian socialist politician. On 30 May 1924, he openly spoke in the Italian Parliament alleging the Fascists committed fraud in the recently held elections, and denounced the violence ...
. The first edition of the novel contained historical errors which were detailed by in the ''
Corriere della Sera
The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015.
First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...
''. Scurati responded to the controversy in a column also published in the ''Corriere della Sera''. In it, he argued that the current era requires "a cooperation between the rigor of historical accurary and the art of the novel". On the night between 4 and 5 July 2019, ''M. Il figlio del secolo'' was awarded the prestigious
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 ...
. The novel was a success, selling over 600,000 copies. It is currently being translated for publication in 46 countries and is in production for a television series adaptation. The English translation by
Anne Milano Appel
Anne Milano Appel is an American translator of Italian literature. She obtained a doctorate in Romance languages from Rutgers University in 1970. She has translated, among others, works by Claudio Magris, Paolo Giordano, Giovanni Arpino and Goliar ...
was published by
Harper
Harper may refer to:
Names
* Harper (name), a surname and given name
Places
;in Canada
* Harper Islands, Nunavut
*Harper, Prince Edward Island
;In the United States
*Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County
* Harper, Il ...
on 5 April 2022.
In September 2020, ''M. L'uomo della provvidenza'', the second volume of the quartet was published. It follows the parable of Mussolini from 1925 to 1932, recounting his liberticidal politics and the fierce power struggles and ideological battles of the National Fascist Party. It is framed by the omnipresent figure of Mussolini and his mediocrities and eccentricities. The novel was translated into French in 2021, and was awarded the 2022
European Book Prize
The European Book Prize (french: Le Prix du Livre Européen) is a European Union literary award established in 2007. It is organized by the association Esprit d'Europe in Paris. It seeks to promote European values, and to contribute to European ci ...
.
In September 2022, the third volume of the series was released, ''M. Gli ultimi giorni dell'Europa'', which follows the fateful years from 1938 to 1940 that would lead to
Italy's entry into World War II.
The series was initially planned as a trilogy. It is currently projected as a tetralogy. In October 2022, Scurati commented: "At this point it is clear that I will need a fourth and perhaps a fifth to complete the parable".
Works
Novels
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Essays
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Documentary
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scurati, Antonio
1969 births
Living people
21st-century Italian male writers
21st-century Italian novelists
21st-century Italian non-fiction writers
21st-century Italian journalists
Anti-fascism
Italian male novelists
Italian male non-fiction writers
Italian male journalists
Writers from Naples
Premio Campiello winners
Strega Prize winners
University of Milan alumni
School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences alumni
University of Bergamo alumni
Academic staff of the University of Bergamo
Academic staff of the IULM University of Milan