Gesualdo Bufalino (; Comiso, Italy, 15 November 1920 – 14 June 1996), was an Italian writer.

Biography

Gesualdo Bufalino was born in

Comiso Comiso ( scn, U Còmisu), is a comune of the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. As of 2017, its population was 29,857. History In the past Comiso has been incorrectly identified with the ancient Greek colony of Casmene. Under the Byza ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. He studied literature and was a high-school professor in his hometown, for most of his life. Immediately after

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 ...

, he had to spend some time in a hospital for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

; hence he drew the material for the novel ''Diceria dell'untore'' (''The Plague Sower''). The book was written in 1950 and completed in 1971, but was published only in 1981, thanks to Bufalino's friend and well-known writer

Leonardo Sciascia Leonardo Sciascia (; 8 January 1921 – 20 November 1989) was an Italian writer, novelist, essayist, playwright, and politician. Some of his works have been made into films, including '' Porte Aperte'' (1990; ''Open Doors''), '' Cadaveri Eccellen ...

who discovered his talents. ''Diceria dell'untore'' won 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 ...

. In 1988, the novel ''Le menzogne della notte'' (''Night's Lies'') won 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 1990 he won the

Nino Martoglio Nino Martoglio (Belpasso, Paternò, 3 December 1870 — Catania, 15 September 1921) was an Italy, Italian writer, publisher, journalist and producer of theatrical works. He wrote mostly in Sicilian language, Sicilian and likewise, his theatrical w ...

International Book Award. In his native town the ''Biblioteca di Bufalino'' ("Bufalino's Library") is now named after him.

Bibliography

Works available in English * ''The Plague Sower'', translated by Stephen Sartarelli and with an introduction by

, Hygiene (CO): Eridanos Press, 1988; translated as ''The Plague-spreader's Tale'' by

Patrick Creagh John Patrick Brasier-Creagh, best known as Patrick Creagh (23 October 1930 - 19 September 2012) was a British poet and translator.Patrick Creagh John Patrick Brasier-Creagh, best known as Patrick Creagh (23 October 1930 - 19 September 2012) was a British poet and translator.John Florio Prize The John Florio Prize for Italian translation is awarded by the Society of Authors, with the co-sponsorship of the Italian Cultural Institute and Arts Council England. Named after the Tudor Anglo-Italian writer-translator John Florio, the prize wa ...

. * ''Night's Lies'', translated by Patrick Creagh, London: Harvill, 1990; as ''Lies of the night'', New York: Atheneum, 1991. * ''The Keeper of Ruins and Other Inventions'', translated by Patrick Creagh, London: Harvill, 1994. * ''Tommaso and the Blind Photographer'', translated by Patrick Creagh, London : Harvill Press, 2000.

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External links

1920 births 1996 deaths People from Comiso Italian male poets Italian male short story writers 20th-century Italian male writers Writers from the Province of Ragusa Strega Prize winners 20th-century Italian novelists 20th-century Italian poets Italian male novelists Premio Campiello winners 20th-century Italian short story writers {{Sicily-stub

Biography

Bibliography

Further reading

See also

References

External links