''La vita agra'', known in English-speaking countries as ''It's a Hard Life'', is a novel by

Luciano Bianciardi Luciano Bianciardi (; 14 December 1922 – 14 November 1971) was an Italian journalist, translator and writer of short stories and novels. He contributed significantly to the cultural ferment in post-war Italy, working actively with various pub ...

published in

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

by Rizzoli. It became a best-seller in Italy and it is considered one of the most important novels in contemporary

Italian literature Italian literature is written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italian people, Italians or in Languages of Italy, other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely re ...

. In 1962, when the novel was released it was praised by the public and the critics. It became a best-seller and was translated into English, French, German and Spanish.

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the ''Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the '' Cosmicomi ...

wrote a review in which he regarded the novel positively and compared it to other works of the so-called ''letteratura industriale'' (Industrial literature), a current which spread at the beginning of the

Italian economic miracle The Italian economic miracle or Italian economic boom ( it, il miracolo economico italiano) is the term used by historians, economists, and the mass media to designate the prolonged period of strong economic growth in Italy after the Second Worl ...

, such as

Paolo Volponi Paolo Volponi (6 February 1924, in Urbino, – 23 August 1994, in Ancona) was an Italian writer, poet, and politician. Biography Volpino was born February 6, 1924, in Urbino, Italy. He would join the Italian partisans in 1943. He studied law ...

's ''Memoriale'' and

Giovanni Arpino Giovanni Arpino (27 January 1927 – 10 December 1987) was an List of Italian writers, Italian writer and journalist. Life Born in Pula-Croatia to Piedmontese parents, Arpino moved to Bra (CN), Bra in the Province of Cuneo. Here he married Cater ...

's ''Una nuvola d'ira''. He praised the all-encompassing language that succeeds masterfully in expressing and representing the industrial reality in a more complex way, even if he saw some weaknesses connected to the book's uncontainable autobiography that is limited, in his opinion, to a "private anarchist protest".Gino Ruozzi, ''Vite difficili nella letteratura del boom economico. Dalla dolce vita alla vita agra'', in Carlo Varotti, ''La parola e il racconto. Scritti su Luciano Bianciardi'', Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2005, pp. 29-36. The novel was also made into a 1964 film of the same name, directed by

Carlo Lizzani Carlo Lizzani (3 April 1922 – 5 October 2013) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and critic. Biography Born in Rome, before World War II Lizzani worked as a scenarist on such films as Roberto Rossellini's ''Germany Year Zero'', ...

and starring

Ugo Tognazzi Ugo Tognazzi (23 March 1922 – 27 October 1990) was an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Tognazzi was born in Cremona, in northern Italy but spent his youth in various localities as his father was a travelling clerk fo ...

and

Giovanna Ralli Giovanna Ralli, (born 2 January 1935), is an Italian stage, film and television actress. Life and career Born in Rome, Ralli debuted as a child actress at 7; at 13 she made her theatrical debut, entering the stage company of Peppino De Filip ...

English editions

*''La vita agra: or, It’s a Hard Life'',

Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...

, London, 1965; translation by Eric Mosbacher. *''La vita agra. It's a Hard Life'',

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

, New York, 1965; translation by Eric Mosbacher.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vita agra, La 1962 novels Italian novels adapted into films Novels set in Milan