Vitaliano Brancati (; 24 July 1907 – 25 September 1954) was an Italian novelist, dramatist, poet and screenwriter.

Biography

Born in

Pachino Pachino (; scn, Pachinu ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). The name derives from the Latin word ''bacchus,'' which is the Roman god of wine, and the word ''vinum'', which means wine in Latin; originally the ...

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, Brancati studied in

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, where he graduated in letters and where he spent the most part of his life. While he started writing at young age and at 25 years old he was already the author of six books, which were largely influenced by fascist ideals and which were later rejected by the same Brancati, critics tend to set the starting point of his career in 1935, when he released the collection of short stories ''In search of a cause''. Brancati got his first and probably major success in 1941, with the novel '' Don Giovanni in Sicilia'', a vibrant and humorous portrait of the Sicilian temperament. In 1944 he wrote the novel ''Gli anni perduti'' ("The Lost Years"), a bold satire of

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 megalomania, and in 1946 ''Vecchio con gli stivali'' ("Old Man in Boots"), a satirical short story inspired by the vicissitudes of the Italian fascism which won the Vendemmia Award and which was adapted into a successful film, ''

Difficult Years ''Difficult Years'' ( it, Anni difficili) is a 1948 Italian drama film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Umberto Spadaro, adapted from the 1946 short story ''Vecchio con gli stivali'' (''Old Man in Boots''), by the Sicilian author Vitaliano B ...

'' by

Luigi Zampa Luigi Zampa (2 January 1905 – 16 August 1991) was an Italian film director. Biography Son of a worker, Zampa studied filmmaking from 1932 to 1937 at the Italian film school Centro sperimentale di cinematografia in Rome. He directed several ...

. In 1950 he won the

Bagutta Prize The Bagutta Prize is an Italian literary prize that is awarded annually to Italian writers. The prize originated among patrons of Milan's ''Bagutta Ristorante''. The writer Riccardo Bacchelli discovered the restaurant and soon he regularly gathere ...

with one another well-known novel, ''Il bell'Antonio'' ("The Handsome Antonio"). He was one of the contributors of a cultural magazine, ''

Omnibus Omnibus may refer to: Film and television * ''Omnibus'' (film) * Omnibus (broadcast), a compilation of Radio or TV episodes * ''Omnibus'' (UK TV series), an arts-based documentary programme * ''Omnibus'' (U.S. TV series), an educational progr ...

''. He died in a clinic 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 ...

after a major surgery. He was married to actress

Anna Proclemer Anna Proclemer, sometimes credited Anna Vivaldi (30 May 1923 – 25 April 2013), was an Italian stage, film and television actress and voice actress. Born in Trento, Proclemer was the daughter of an engineer and a housewife. She debuted on stag ...

and the couple had a daughter together.

Selected works

Novels and short stories

* '' Don Giovanni in Sicilia'' (1941), adapted into the film internationally released as

Don Juan in Sicily ''Don Giovanni in Sicilia'', internationally released as ''Don Juan in Sicily'', is a 1967 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Alberto Lattuada. It is loosely based on the novel with the same title by Vitaliano Brancati. Cast * Lando Buzza ...

(1967) * ''Gli anni perduti'' (1944) (''The Lost Years'' (1992), trans.

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.Il bell'Antonio ''Il bell'Antonio'' ("Handsome Antonio") is a 1960 Italian-French drama film directed by Mauro Bolognini. The film is based on a novel by Vitaliano Brancati and adapted for the screen by Pier Paolo Pasolini and Gino Visentini. It stars Marcello ...

(1960) * ''Vecchio con gli stivali'' (1946), a short story, adapted into the film ''Anni difficili'' (''

'') (1948)

Screenplays

* ''La bella addormentata'' (''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'') (1942) * ''

Don Cesare di Bazan ''Don Cesare di Bazan'' is a 1942 Italian historical adventure film directed by Riccardo Freda and starring Gino Cervi, Anneliese Uhlig and Paolo Stoppa. The film is set during the Catalan Revolt of the Seventeenth century. It is based on a pla ...

'' (1942) * ''Gelosia'' (''

Jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. ...

'') (1942) * ''Signori, in carrozza!'' (''

Rome-Paris-Rome ''Rome-Paris-Rome'' ( it, Signori, in carrozza!) is a 1951 French-Italian comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Aldo Fabrizi, Sophie Desmarets and Peppino De Filippo. It was shot at the Farnesina Studios in Rome and on location in Pa ...

'') (1951) * ''È più facile che un cammello...'' (''

His Last Twelve Hours ''His Last Twelve Hours'' (French: ''Pour l'amour du ciel'', Italian: ''È più facile che un cammello...'') is a 1951 French-Italian drama film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Jean Gabin, Mariella Lotti and Elli Parvo. The film's sets were ...

'') (1951) * ''Anni facili'' (''

Easy Years ''Easy Years'' ( it, Anni facili) is a 1953 drama film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Nino Taranto. Cast *Nino Taranto as Professor Luigi De Francesco *Clelia Matania as Rosina, his wife *Giovanna Ralli as Teresa, his daughter *Gino Buz ...

'') (1953) * ''L'arte di arrangiarsi'' (''

The Art of Getting Along ''The Art of Getting Along'' ( it, L'arte di arrangiarsi) is a 1954 in film, 1954 comedy film directed by Luigi Zampa and starring Alberto Sordi. Following ''Difficult Years'' and ''Easy Years'', it is the third and final chapter in the trilogy ab ...

'') (1954) * ''Paolo il caldo'' ('' Hot Paolo'') (1955)

Biography

Selected works

Novels and short stories

Screenplays

References

Further reading