Attilio Bertolucci (18 November 1911 – 14 June 2000) was an Italian poet and writer. He was the father of film directors Bernardo and

Giuseppe Bertolucci Giuseppe Bertolucci (27 February 1947 – 16 June 2012) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 26 films between 1972 and 2012. He was the younger brother of Bernardo Bertolucci. Selected filmography * ''Berlinguer, I Lov ...

Biography

Bertolucci was born at San Lazzaro (

province of Parma The province of Parma () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its largest town and capital is the city of Parma. It is made up of 47 ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). It has an area of and a total population of aro ...

), to a family of agricultural bourgeoisie. He began to write poems very early. In 1928 he collaborated with the ''Gazzetta di Parma'', where his friend

Cesare Zavattini Cesare Zavattini (20 September 1902 – 13 October 1989) was an Italian screenwriter and one of the first theorists and proponents of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema. Biography Born in Luzzara near Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, o ...

was editor-in-chief. The following year Bertolucci published his first poetical collection, ''Sirio''. In 1931 he started studying law at the

University of Parma The University of Parma () is a public university located in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Organized into nine departments, it is one of the oldest universities in the world. As of 2016, it had approximately 26,000 students. History During the ...

, which however he left soon afterwards in favour of artistic and literary studies. In the following year his work ''Fuochi di Novembre'' gained him the praise of Italian poets such as Eugenio Montale. In 1951 he moved to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. His marriage to Ninetta Giovanardi had given him two sons, Bernardo (1941–2018) and Giuseppe (1947–2012), both future film directors. In 1951 he also published ''La capanna indiana'' and won the Viareggio Prize for literature. In this period he cemented a friendship with

Pier Paolo Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italian history, influential both as an artist ...

. ''Viaggio d'inverno'' ("Winter Voyage") of

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

is one of Bertolucci's finest works. This work saw a noteworthy change of style in Bertolucci's poetry: while the first works were, according to

Franco Fortini Franco Fortini was the pseudonym of Franco Lattes (10 September 1917 – 28 November 1994), an Italian poet, writer, translator, essayist, Literary criticism, literary critic and Marxism, Marxist intellectual. Life Franco Fortini was born in ...

, characterized by "the choice of a humble language for pastoral situations", ''Viaggio d'inverno'' was more complex and was marked by an unsureness of feelings. From 1975, together with Enzo Siciliano and

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

, he directed the literary review '' Nuovi Argomenti''. He won another Viareggio Prize for the narrative poem ''Camera da letto'' (1984–1988). His last work was ''La lucertola di Casarola'' (1997), a collection of works from his youth and other unpublished poems. Bertolucci died in Rome in 2000. Selections of his poetry have been translated into English by Charles Tomlinson and Allen Prowle.

Bibliography

*''Sirio'' (1929) *''Fuochi di novembre'' (1932) *''La capanna indiana'' (1951) *''The bedroom'' (''La camera da letto'', 1988, English translation by Luigi Bonaffini); *''Viaggio d'inverno'' (1971) *''La camera da letto'' (2 vols., 1984–1988, poem-novel) *''Aritmie'' (1991, essays) *''Verso le sorgenti del cinghio'' (1993) *''Una lunga amicizia'' (1994, letters) *''La lucertola di Casarola'' (1997) *''Sunshine and Shadows'' (2010, English translations by Allen Prowle)

Honour

* : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2 May 1996)

References

External links

Two poems by Attilio Bertolucci
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertolucci, Attilio 1911 births 2000 deaths University of Parma alumni Writers from the Province of Parma Italian male poets 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian male writers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic