Carlo Levi () (29 November 1902 – 4 January 1975) was an Italian painter, writer, activist,

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

, and doctor. He is best known for his book '' Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' (''Christ Stopped at Eboli''), published in 1945, a memoir of his time spent in exile in

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Brutti ...

, Italy, after being arrested in connection with his political activism. In 1979, the book became the basis of a movie of the same name, directed by

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director. His film '' The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to ha ...

. Lucania, also called

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

, was historically one of the poorest regions of the impoverished Italian south. Levi's lucid, non-ideological and sympathetic description of the daily hardships experienced by the local peasants helped to propel the "Problem of the South" into national discourse after the end of

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 ...

Early life

Levi was born in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, to wealthy Jewish physician Ercole Levi and Annetta Treves, the sister of

Claudio Treves Claudio Treves (24 March 1869 – 11 June 1933) was an Italian politician and journalist. Life Youth Claudio Treves was born in Turin into a well off assimilated Jewish family. As a student he participated in the Radical milieu of Turin and, ...

, a

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

leader in Italy. He graduated from high school (''Liceo Alfieri'') in 1917, and then attended the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe and continues to play an impo ...

, where he studied medicine and graduated in 1924 with high marks. While at university, Levi had become friends with

Piero Gobetti Piero Gobetti (; 19 June 1901, Turin – 15 February 1926, Neuilly-sur-Seine) was an Italian journalist, intellectual and radical liberal and anti-fascist. He was an exceptionally active campaigner and critic in the crisis years in Italy after ...

who sparked his interests in political activism that would continue throughout his life. Soon after graduation from the University of Turin, Levi exhibited some of his works at the XIV

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 ...

. Levi never completely abandoned his medical studies and served as assistant to Prof. Micheli at the University of Turin's Clinic from 1924 to 1928, working on research involving hepatopathy and diseases of

bile Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile ...

tract. During the same period, Levi continued his specialization studies in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

with Professor Bourguignon among others, although by 1927 he had decided to dedicate his life to painting. Levi's early time in Paris, as a painter and as a student of medicine, brought him into contact with many notable personalities of the 20th century, including

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

Alberto Moravia Alberto Moravia ( , ; born Alberto Pincherle ; 28 November 1907 – 26 September 1990) was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation and existentialism. Moravia is best known for his d ...

Giorgio de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( , ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the '' scuola metafisica'' art movement, which profoundly influ ...

, and others. He lived almost exclusively in Paris from 1932 to 1934 and, while there, attended the funeral in 1933 of his uncle (his mother's brother), Claudio Treves.

Political activism and exile

Paolo Monti - Servizio fotografico (Italia, 1955) - BEIC 6341423

In 1929, along with Carlo and Nello Rosselli he founded an

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

movement called

Giustizia e Libertà Giustizia e Libertà (; en, Justice and Freedom) was an Italian anti-fascist resistance movement, active from 1929 to 1945.James D. Wilkinson (1981). ''The Intellectual Resistance Movement in Europe''. Harvard University Press. p. 224. The mov ...

, becoming a leader of the Italian branch along with

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 ...

, a Russian Jew from

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

who had emigrated with his parents to Italy. He also joined with

Francesco Menzio Francesco Menzio (3 April 1899 – 28 November 1979) was an Italian painter. Childhood and training He was born in Tempio Pausania, Sassari in Sardinia, to Pietro Angelo Menzio, a high school teacher, and Augusta Pic, both originally from Piedmon ...

in the "

Gruppo dei Sei Gruppo dei Sei (Group of Six) or Sei di Torino (Six from Turin) was a group of painters who emerged under the mentorship of Felice Casorati in Turin in the late 1920s. They exhibited together for three years starting in 1929. Although each artist ha ...

" ("Group of six"), all painters in Turin, including

Jessie Boswell Jessie Boswell (March 10, 1881 – September 22, 1956) was an English painter, active mainly in her adoptive Piedmont, known as being one of the painters of the ''Gruppo dei Sei Pittori'' (1929–1931) in that city. Biography She was born in Leeds ...

Gigi Chessa Luigi Maria Giorgio Chessa (1898–1935) was an Italian painter, architect, scenic designer, and potter (ceramics painter). Biography He was born in Turin, where he first trained under his father Carlo Chessa. He attended the Accademia Albertina, ...

, Nicola Galante and Enrico Paulucci. As a result of his activism and involvement with anti-fascist movements, Levi was arrested and exiled to

Aliano Aliano is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Matera, which is located about southwest of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Aliano was the setting of Carlo Levi's book ''Christ Stopped at Eboli'' (Italian: ''Cristo si ...

(Gagliano in ''Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'') and Grassano, two towns in a remote area of Italy called

(now

) from 1935 to 1936. There he encountered a poverty almost unknown in prosperous northern Italy. While there, Levi worked on the side as one of the doctors for the villagers, although he had never practiced medicine after graduating from medical school. During his exile he spent much of his time painting. After his release, he moved to France and lived there from 1939 to 1941. In 1941, he returned to Italy, and was later arrested again in

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 ...

and imprisoned in the Murate prison. He was released following

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 ...

's arrest and sought refuge across the street from the

Pitti Palace The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

, where he wrote ''Cristo si è fermato a Eboli''. Street name sign in Erice

After

, he moved to Rome and from 1945 to 1946 he served as the editor of '' L'Italia Libera'', the publication of the Partito d'Azione, an anti-fascist organization that grew out of the republican tradition. He continued to write and paint, exhibiting in Europe and the United States. His written works include ''L'Orologio'' (''The Watch'') (1950), ''Le parole sono pietre'' (''Words Are Stones'') (1955), and ''Il Futuro ha un Cuore Antico'' (''The Future has an Ancient Heart'') (1956). In 1963, he was elected to the Senate as an independent on the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

ticket; he was re-elected to the Senate in 1968 and served there until 1972. He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in Rome on 4 January 1975. He is buried in

. The 'Persiana' Gallery in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

exhibited his last work, ''Apollo and Daphne'', executed on a goatskin drum the day before he was admitted to hospital.

Works

Below is a list of Carlo Levi's main works. Publisher (where appropriate) and date of publication follow each work:Levi, Carlo, and Gigliola De Donato. Roma fuggitiva: una città e i suoi dintorni. Saggi. Roma: Donzelli, 2002: 157–164 * ''Paura della pittura'' (1942) * '' Cristo si è fermato a Eboli'' (Einaudi, 1945) * ''Paura della libertà'' (1946) * ''L'orologio'' (Einaudi, 1950) * ''Le parole sono pietre'' (Einaudi, 1955) * ''II futuro ha un cuore antico'' (Einaudi, 1956; won the Premio Viareggio) * ''La doppia notte dei tigli'' (Einaudi, 1959) * ''Un volto che ci somiglia (Ritratto dell'Italia)'' (Einaudi, 1960) * ''Tutto il miele è finito'' (Einaudi, 1964) * ''Quaderno a cancelli'' (Einaudi, 1979; published posthumously) * ''Coraggio dei miti (Scrìtti contemporanei 1922–1974)'' (De Donato, 1975; published posthumously) * ''Carlo Levi inedito: con 40 disegni della cecità'', Donato Sperduto (ed.), Edizioni Spes, Milazzo, 2002. Levi also wrote numerous prefaces and introductions for many authors throughout his lifetime. There have also been collections of Levi's works published after his death, notably essays, miscellaneous writings, and poetry.

Essays

* Levi, Carlo, ''Roma fuggitiva: una città e i suoi dintorni''. Saggi. Roma: Donzelli, 2002. () *Levi, Carlo, '' Fleeting Rome: In Search of the Dolce Vita''. Essays. John Wiley & Sons, 2004. () * Levi, Carlo, Stanislao G. Pugliese, and Carlo Levi. Fear of Freedom: With the Essay, "Fear of Painting". New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. () * ''Carlo Levi inedito: con 40 disegni della cecità'', Donato Sperduto (ed.), Edizioni Spes, Milazzo, 2002. * Sperduto, Donato, ''Armonie lontane'', Aracne, Roma, 2013. * Ward, David, ''Carlo Levi'', La Nuova Italia, Milano, 2002. * Arouimi, Michel, ''Magies de Levi'', Schena-Lanore, Fasano-Parigi, 2006. * Dalia Abdullah, "Pittura e letteratura: Il bilinguismo di Carlo Levi", in "Riscontri. Rivista trimestrale di cultura e di attualità", XXXIV(2012),3-4,pp. 9–54. * ''Oltre il buio. Scritti per Carlo Levi'', a cura di P. L. Berto, Ensemble, Roma, 2013.

Gallery

File:Matera Palazzo Lanfranchi Sala Carlo Levi.jpg, Levi's monumental painting ''Lucania 61'' (1961), in Palazzo Lanfranchi ( it),

Matera Matera (, ; Materano: ) is a city in the region of Basilicata, in Southern Italy. As the capital of the province of Matera, its original settlement lies in two canyons carved by the Gravina River. This area, the Sassi di Matera, is a comple ...

File:Lucania_61_di_Carlo_Levi_3.JPG, ''Lucania 61'', detail File:Lucania 61 di Carlo Levi 2.JPG, ''Lucania 61'', detail File:Lucania 61 di Carlo Levi 4.JPG, ''Lucania 61'', detail File:Lucania 61 di Carlo Levi 1.JPG, ''Lucania 61'', detail

References

Grave of Carlo Levi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levi, Carlo 1902 births 1975 deaths Italian male writers Italian medical writers Jewish anti-fascists 20th-century Italian Jews Italian anti-fascists 20th-century Italian painters Italian male painters Painters from Turin Members of Giustizia e Libertà Viareggio Prize winners University of Turin alumni Physicians from Turin Writers from Turin Jewish Italian writers 20th-century Italian male artists