Francesco Leonetti (27 January 1924 – 17 December 2017) was an Italian poet, novelist, art critic, teacher and political activist.

Biography

Leonetti was born in

Cosenza Cosenza (; local dialect: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000; the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Province of Cosenza, which has a populati ...

in Calabria. In 1955 he moved to

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

to study philosophy. There he met

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 ...

and Roberto Roversi, and together they co-founded the magazine ''Officina''. In the 1960s he co-founded with

Elio Vittorini Elio Vittorini (; 23 July 1908 – 12 February 1966) was an Italian writer and novelist. He was a contemporary of Cesare Pavese and an influential voice in the modernist school of novel writing. His best-known work is the anti-fascist novel '' Co ...

and

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 ...

the literary magazine ''Il Menabò''. In 1963 he joined the

Neoavanguardia The Neoavanguardia ("New Vanguard") was an avant-garde Italian literary movement oriented towards radical forms of experimentation with language. Some of its most prominent members include Nanni Balestrini, Edoardo Sanguineti, Umberto Eco, Antoni ...

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

Italian

literary movement Literary movements are a way to divide literature into categories of similar philosophical, topical, or aesthetic features, as opposed to divisions by genre or period. Like other categorizations, literary movements provide language for comparing ...

. Leonetti collaborated with Pasolini again in 1964, playing the part of

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "H ...

in '' The Gospel According to St. Matthew''. He also provided the voice of the sparrow in ''

The Hawks and the Sparrows ''The Hawks and the Sparrows'' ( it, Uccellacci e uccellini, literally "Birds of prey and Little Birds") is a 1966 Italian film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. It was entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival where a "Special Mention" was made ...

'' (1966) and played the part of the servant Laio in the 1967 film ''

Oedipus Rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

''. In the 1970s he co-edited with

Nanni Balestrini Nanni Balestrini (2 July 1935 – 19 May 2019) was an Italian experimental poet, author and visual artist of the Neoavanguardia movement. Context Nanni Balestrini is associated with the Italian writers' movement Neoavanguardia. He wrote for ...

the magazine ''

Alfabeta ''alfabeta'' was a monthly cultural and literary magazine published between 1979 and 1988 in Milan, Italy. The magazine was the cultural landmark in the country during its existence. History and profile ''alfabeta'' was established in Milan by N ...

''. In 1974 he authored a monograph on Italian sculptor

Arnaldo Pomodoro Arnaldo Pomodoro (born 23 June 1926) is an Italian sculptor. He was born in Morciano, Romagna, and lives and works in Milan. His brother, Giò Pomodoro (1930–2002) was also a sculptor. Pomodoro designed a controversial fiberglass crucifix fo ...

. From 1975 to 1995 he taught Aesthetics at the

Brera Academy The Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera ("academy of fine arts of Brera"), also known as the or Brera Academy, is a state-run tertiary public academy of fine arts in Milan, Italy. It shares its history, and its main building, with the Pinacoteca di ...

in Milan.

Selected works

* ''Sopra una perduta estate'' (1942) * ''La cantica'' (1959) * ''L’incompleto'' (1964) * ''Irati e sereni'' (1974) * ''Conoscenza per errore (studente a Bologna del 48–49)'' (1978) * ''In uno scacco'' (1979) * ''Campo di battaglia'' (1981) * ''Palla di filo'' (1986) * ''La vita e gli amici'' (1992) * ''La voce del corvo. Una vita (1940–2001)'' (2002) * ''Scritti estremi di rabbia e di gioco. Narrazione, poesie, scene e prose'' (2005) * ''Una come un'altra'' (2015)

Filmography

References

1924 births 2017 deaths People from Cosenza Gruppo 63 Italian male poets 20th-century Italian poets 21st-century Italian poets Italian male novelists 20th-century Italian novelists 21st-century Italian novelists Italian activists 20th-century Italian male writers 21st-century Italian male writers Academic staff of Brera Academy Italian magazine editors Italian male actors Italian art critics Italian male non-fiction writers Italian LGBT poets Italian LGBT novelists {{Italy-bio-stub