Roberto Pazzi


Roberto Pazzi was an Italian novelist and poet. His works have been translated into twenty-six languages. He was widely recognized in Italian literary circles for his poetry and novels. His debut novel, Cercando l'Imperatore in 1985, received a number of international awards and started a prolific career of historical and contemporary novels.
Pazzi lived in Ferrara, where he taught at the university, held annual creative writing courses and, for Corbo editore, led the series of narratives "L'Isola Bianca". He was an active lecturer in the various countries of the world where his work has spread.

Biography

Early life and education

Pazzi was born on 18 August 1946 in Ameglia, a small comune in Liguria, Italy.
Pazzi attended Liceo Arostio in Ferrara before going on to study classics at the University of Bologna, where he wrote a thesis on aesthetics of the poetics of Umberto Saba.

Teaching

Pazzi taught cultural anthropology and the philosophy of history in high schools and the University of Ferrara. He also taught sociology and sociology of art and literature in Urbino. In 2014, he established the Itaca school of creative writing in Ferrara.

Journalism

As a journalist, he initially started writing for the Corriere della Sera in 1985, entering an exclusive partnership that would last twelve years until 1997. Subsequently, Pazzi began writing for il Resto del Carlino, La Nazione and Il Giorno as well as The New York Times.

Publishing career

His first poems appeared in a poetry anthology in the magazine Arte e poesia in 1970.
His collections of verse are: L'esperienza anteriore, Versi occidentali, Il re, le parole, Calma di vento, Il filo delle bugie, La gravità dei corpi and Talismani.
Pazzi published his first novel Cercando l'Imperatore in 1985. The novel was translated into 12 languages and won the Premio Bergamo. He followed Cercando l'Imperatore with various historical novels: La principessa e il drago, La malattia del tempo, Vangelo di Giuda and La stanza sull'acqua.
With Le città del dottor Malaguti he moved his novels to a contemporary setting in the town where the book's narrator lives, Ferrara. After that, he wrote Incerti di viaggio, Domani sarò re, La città volante, Conclave, L'erede, Il signore degli occhi, L'ombra del padre, Qualcuno mi insegue, Le forbici di Solingen, Dopo primavera, and Mi spiacerà morire per non vederti più.

Death

Pazzi died on 2 December 2023 in Ferrara at the age of 77, after having been hospitalised since 24 November.

Works

Poetry

  • L'esperienza anteriore, I Dispari
  • Versi occidentali, Rebellato
  • Il re, le parole, Lacaita
  • Calma di vento Garzanti
  • Il filo delle bugie, Corbo
  • La gravità dei corpi, Palomar
  • Talismani, Marietti
  • Felicità di perdersi, Barbera
  • Un giorno senza sera, La Nave di Teseo

    Novels

  • Cercando l'Imperatore, Marietti
  • La principessa e il drago, Garzanti
  • La malattia del tempo, Marietti
  • Vangelo di Giuda, Garzanti
  • La stanza sull'acqua, Garzanti
  • Le città del dottor Malaguti, Garzanti
  • Incerti di viaggio, Longanesi
  • Domani sarò Re, Longanesi
  • La città volante, Baldini e Castoldi
  • Conclave, Frassinelli
  • L'erede, Frassinelli
  • Il signore degli occhi, Frassinelli
  • L'ombra del padre, Frassinelli
  • Qualcuno mi insegue, Frassinelli
  • Le forbici di Solingen, Corbo
  • Dopo primavera, Frassinelli
  • Mi spiacerà morire per non vederti più, Corbo
  • D'amore non esistono peccati, Barbera
  • La trasparenza del buio, Bompiani
  • La stanza sull'acqua, I Grandi Tascabili Bompiani
  • Lazzaro, Bompiani
  • Verso Sant'Elena, Bompiani
  • Hotel Padreterno, La Nave di Teseo
  • La stanza sull'acqua, i Delfini, La Nave di Teseo
  • La doppia vista, La Nave di Teseo

    Awards

  • Selezione Campiello Prize
  • Bergamo Prize
  • Hemingway Prize
  • Maria Cristina Prize
  • Lerici Pea Prize
  • Piombino Prize
  • Eugenio Montale Prize
  • Rhegium Julii Prize 1987
  • Super Grinzane Cavour Prize
  • Castiglioncello Prize
  • Del tascabile Prize
  • Valsassina Prize
  • Selezione Campiello Prize
  • Penne Prize
  • Calliope Prize
  • Frascati Prize
  • Miscia Lanciano Prize
  • Zerilli-Marimò Prize for Italian Fiction for Conclave
  • Flaiano Prize
  • Scanno Prize
  • Comisso Prize
  • Stresa Prize 2001
  • Rapolano Terme Prize
  • Maria Cristina Prize
  • Recanati Prize
  • Procida Elsa Morante Prize
  • Scalea Prize
  • Bigiaretti Prize
  • Giorgio La Pira Prize