Andrea Bajani
| Andrea Bajani | |
|---|---|
| Born | Missing required parameter 1=month! , 1975 Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Journalist, novelist |
| Language | Italian |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Period | 2000-present |
| Genres | Literary realism |
| Subjects | Italian working people |
| Notable award(s) | Mondello Prize, Brancati Prize, Bagutta Prize |
Andrea Bajani (born 1975) is an Italian journalist and writer. Bajani won the Mondello Prize (ex aequo with Antonio Scurati, Flavio Soriga and Luca Giachi) in 2008 for his novel Se consideri le colpe (If you consider the faults), written in 2007; in 2008 he has also won the Brancati Prize—with Massimo Onofri and Franco Loi. In March 2011 it was announced that Bajani had won the 2011 Bagutta Prize for his novel Ogni Promessa (to be published in English as Every Promise by MacLehose Press).[1]
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[edit] Biography
Bajani was born in Rome. While he was still very young, the family moved to Cuneo, later to Piemont, and then to Turin, where he presently resides. In 2002 Bajani published his first novel, Morto un papa (Dead a Pope), and in 2003 his second novel, Qui non ci sono perdenti (There aren't losers here). His third novel, Cordiali Saluti (Cordial Waves), written in 2005, was a success, so he started to write novels based on the lives of average Italian workers. In 2006 he wrote a reportage called Mi spezzo ma non m’impiego (I break, but I don't bend) – an Italian workers' motto – about the uncertainties facing Italian workers. It was published by Einaudi.[2]
[edit] Novels
[edit] Se consideri le colpe
In a January 2009 speech at the Dante Alighiere High School (on Ennio Quirinio Visconti Street in Rome), Bajani told the students that he began contemplating his most famous novel (Se consideri le colpe) when he visited Ancona. He said the title was inspired by a phrase from the book of Psalms in the Bible. Lorenzo, the tale protagonist, goes to Bucarest for his mother's funeral; during this time, he tries to understand how his mother had lived in Bucarest - where she went with her lover after having left him and her second husband - and he tries to forgive her, without considering the faults. Bajani wrote this novel between Genoa, where he went for holiday, and Bucarest. He has won the Mondello Prize, the Recanati Prize and also the Brancati Prize for it in 2008; during the award ceremony an Italian literary critic said that the novel appeared to have been written by a female author, due to its humanity and sensitivity.
[edit] Domani niente scuola
In 2008 Bajani published Domani niente scuola (Tomorrow no school), a tale of Italian students on a field trip.[3] In a December 2008 symposium at Dante Lyceum, Bajani stated that he traveled to Prague and Paris with three high school classes to understand "how really the students are nowdays". "It was really funny", he concluded.
Lidia Ravera, another participant in the symposium, said of the novel:
There is a chasm between my generation and the new generation, but the youthful protest is even alive and dangerous for the powers that be".[4]
- Morto un papa (Dead a Pope)(Portofranco, 2002)
- Qui non ci sono perdenti (There aren't losers here)(PeQuod, 2003)
- Cordiali saluti (Cordial Waves)(Einaudi, 2005)
- Mi spezzo ma non m'impiego (I break, but I don't bend)(Einaudi, 2006)
- Se consideri le colpe (If you consider the faults)(Einaudi, 2007)
- Domani niente scuola (Tomorrow no school)(Einaudi, 2008)
- Ogni Promessa (Every Promise)(Einaudi, 2010)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Andrea Bajani on Giulio Einaudi editore web page (Italian)
- Prisoner in Facebook [PDF] by the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore (Italian)
- This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Italian Wikipedia.
