Dino Buzzati: Difference between revisions

Dino Buzzati
Dino Buzzati
	Buzzati, 1950s
Born	14 October 1906; San Pellegrino di Belluno, Italy
Died	28 January 1972 (age 65); Milan, Italy
Occupation	Graphic artist, novelist, short story writer, journalist
Genre	Novel, short story
Notable works	The Tartar Steppe

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 02:16, 24 November 2024

Dino Buzzati-Traverso (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdiːno butˈtsaːti]; 14 October 1906 – 28 January 1972) was an Italian novelist, short story writer, painter and poet, as well as a journalist for Corriere della Sera. His worldwide fame is mostly due to his novel The Tartar Steppe, although he is also known for his well-received collections of short stories.

Life

Buzzati was born in San Pellegrino, Belluno, in his family's ancestral villa. Buzzati's mother, a veterinarian by profession, was Venetian and his father, a professor of international law, was from an old Bellunese family. Buzzati was the second of his parents' four children. One of his brothers was the well-known Italian geneticist Adriano Buzzati-Traverso. In 1924, he enrolled in the law faculty of the University of Milan, where his father once taught. As he was completing his studies in law, he was hired, at the age of 22, by the Milanese newspaper Corriere della Sera, where he would remain employed until his death. He began in the editorial department. Later he worked as a reporter, special correspondent, essayist, editor, and art critic. It is often said that his journalistic background informs his writing, lending even the most fantastic tales an aura of realism.

Buzzati himself commented on the connection (as cited by Lawrence Venuti):

It seems to me, fantasy should be as close as possible to journalism. The right word is not "banalizing", although in fact a little of this is involved. Rather, I mean that the effectiveness of a fantastic story will depend on its being told in the most simple and practical terms.^[1]

During World War II, Buzzati served in Africa as a journalist attached to the Regia Marina. After the end of the war, Il deserto dei Tartari was published nationwide in Italy and quickly brought critical recognition and fame to the author. He married Almerina Antoniazzi in 1966. He published his last novel, Un amore, concerning love, in that year. In 1972, Buzzati died of cancer after a protracted illness.^[2]

Works summary

Buzzati began writing fiction in 1933. His works of fiction include five novels, theatre and radio plays, librettos, numerous books of short stories, and poetry. His libretti include four for operas by Luciano Chailly, as well as one for La giacca dannata by Giulio Viozzi.

He wrote a children's book, La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia (translated by Frances Lobb into English as The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily). Lemony Snicket wrote an introduction and reader's companion to a 2005 English edition.

Also an artist, Buzzati combined his artistic and writing exploits into making a comic book based on the myth of Orpheus, Poem Strip. Commenting on the graphic element, he once explained that "for me, painting and writing are the same thing."^[3]

The Tartar Steppe, his most famous novel, tells the story of a military outpost that awaits a Tartar invasion. In its sentiment and its conclusions, it has been compared to existentialist works, notably Albert Camus's The Myth of Sisyphus.^[4]

His writing is sometimes cited as magical realism or social alienation. The fate of the environment and fantasy in the face of unbridled technological progress are recurring themes. He wrote a variety of short stories featuring fantastic animals such as the bogeyman and, his own invention, the colomber (il colombre). His Sessanta racconti collection of sixty stories, which won the Strega Prize in 1958, features elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.^[5]^[6]

Bibliography

Bàrnabo delle montagne (1933). Barnabo of the Mountains, trans. Lawrence Venuti, included in The Siren (1984)
Il segreto del Bosco Vecchio (1935). The Secret of the Old Woods
Il deserto dei Tartari (1940). The Tartar Steppe, trans. Stuart C. Hood (Secker & Warburg, 1952); also as The Stronghold, trans. Lawrence Venuti (New York Review Books, 2023)
I sette messaggeri (1942, short stories). The Seven Messengers
La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia (1945). The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily, trans. Frances Lobb (Pantheon, 1947)^[7]
In quel preciso momento (1950)
Il crollo della Baliverna (1954)
Sessanta racconti (1958, short stories). Sixty Stories
Il grande ritratto (1960). Larger than Life, trans. Henry Reed (Secker & Warburg, 1962); also as The Singularity, trans. Anne Milano Appel (New York Review Books, 2024)
Un amore (1963). A Love Affair, trans. Joseph Green (Farrar Straus, 1964)^[8]
Il capitano Pic e altre poesie (1965, poetry)
Cacciatori di vecchio (1966, novel)
Il colombre (1966, short stories)
Poema a fumetti (1969, comic book). Poem Strip, trans. Marina Harss (New York Review Books, 2009)
Il reggimento parte all'alba (1985, short stories). The Regiment Leaves at Dawn

Compilations in English

Catastrophe and Other Stories, trans. Judith Landry and Cynthia Jolly (Calder, 1965)
Restless Nights: Selected Stories of Dino Buzzati, trans. Lawrence Venuti (North Point Press, 1983)
The Siren: A Selection from Dino Buzzati, trans. Lawrence Venuti (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1984)^[9]
The Bewitched Bourgeois: Fifty Stories, trans. Lawrence Venuti (New York Review Books, 2024)

Awards and honours

1951: Gargano Prize, for In quel preciso momento
1954: Naples Prize, for Il crollo della Baliverna
1958: Strega Prize, for Sessanta racconti
1969: Paese Sera Prize, for Poema a fumetti
1970: All’Amalia Prize
1970: Mario Massai Prize

References

^ Restless Nights – Selected Stories of Dino Buzzati (Introduction by L. Venuti) (North Point Press, 1983)
^ Dino Buzzati d'hier et d'aujourd'hui: à la mémoire de Nella Giannetto. Actes du colloque international, Besançon, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2008, p. 329.
^ Emanuele Occhipinti, Novecento and the Contemporary Period (Narrative and Theatre). The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies, Vol. 78 (2018), pp. 314-323, at 318.
^ Sem' Gontsov (Introduction by E. Ambartsumov) (Izvestiya Press, 1985)
^ "Sessanta racconti". premiostrega.it (in Italian). Strega Prize. Archived from the original on 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2015-07-13.
^ "Buzzati Dino". www.fantascienza.com.
^ Buzzati, Dino (2016). The bears' famous invasion of Sicily. Internet Archive. Richmond : Alma Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84749-572-3.
^ Buzzati, Dino (1964). A love affair. Internet Archive. New York, Farrar, Straus.
^ Buzzati, Dino (1984). The siren : a selection from Dino Buzzati. Internet Archive. San Francisco : North Point Press. ISBN 978-0-86547-159-7.

Giuseppe Leone, "Dino Buzzati e le grandi 'costruzioni' letterarie – La fortezza di Bastiani non è Il castello di Kafka", Il Punto Stampa, Lecco, Italy, April 1997.
Luis Montiel (2010), “Una meditatio mortis contemporánea. La reflexión de Dino Buzzati sobre la caducidad de la vida humana”. Medicina e historia, 2/2010, 1–15.

In modern culture

In 2019, the Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Last Dinosaurs Lachlan Caskey, known as Notes From Under Ground, referenced Buzzati on his solo album Partner by making his name one of the song titles.

External links

Official website (in Italian)
Dino Buzzati at IMDb
Biography at the Wayback Machine (archived April 19, 2008) (in Italian)
Il coraggio della bontà – Dino Buzzati e don Zeno Saltini: cronaca di un'amicizia
Dino Buzzati et la Ville - Dino Buzzati and the city, the webpage of french artist Alexandre Nezeys Tacconi

[1] Restless Nights – Selected Stories of Dino Buzzati (Introduction by L. Venuti) (North Point Press, 1983)

[2] Dino Buzzati d'hier et d'aujourd'hui: à la mémoire de Nella Giannetto. Actes du colloque international, Besançon, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2008, p. 329.

[3] Emanuele Occhipinti, Novecento and the Contemporary Period (Narrative and Theatre). The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies, Vol. 78 (2018), pp. 314-323, at 318.

[4] Sem' Gontsov (Introduction by E. Ambartsumov) (Izvestiya Press, 1985)

[5] "Sessanta racconti". premiostrega.it (in Italian). Strega Prize. Archived from the original on 2014-06-21. Retrieved 2015-07-13.

[6] "Buzzati Dino". www.fantascienza.com.

[7] Buzzati, Dino (2016). The bears' famous invasion of Sicily. Internet Archive. Richmond : Alma Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84749-572-3.

[8] Buzzati, Dino (1964). A love affair. Internet Archive. New York, Farrar, Straus.

[9] Buzzati, Dino (1984). The siren : a selection from Dino Buzzati. Internet Archive. San Francisco : North Point Press. ISBN 978-0-86547-159-7.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Italian writer}}
+{{Short description|Italian writer (1906–1972)}}
 {{inline|date=November 2020}}
-{{expand Italian|date=July 2018}}
+{{expand Italian|topic=bio|date=July 2018}}
 {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
 | name        = Dino Buzzati
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 | notableworks = ''[[The Tartar Steppe]]''
 }}
-'''Dino Buzzati-Traverso''' ({{IPA-it|ˈdiːno butˈtsaːti}}; 14 October 1906&nbsp;– 28 January 1972) was an Italian novelist, short story writer, painter and poet, as well as a journalist for ''[[Corriere della Sera]]''. His worldwide fame is mostly due to his novel ''[[The Tartar Steppe]]'', although he is also known for his well-received collections of short stories.
+'''Dino Buzzati-Traverso''' ({{IPA|it|ˈdiːno butˈtsaːti}}; 14 October 1906&nbsp;– 28 January 1972) was an Italian novelist, short story writer, painter and poet, as well as a journalist for ''[[Corriere della Sera]]''. His worldwide fame is mostly due to his novel ''[[The Tartar Steppe]]'', although he is also known for his well-received collections of short stories.
 ==Life==
-Buzzati was born in [[San Pellegrino di Belluno|San Pellegrino]], [[province of Belluno|Belluno]], in his family's ancestral villa. Buzzati's mother, a veterinarian by profession, was [[Venice|Venetian]] and his father, a professor of [[international law]], was from an old Bellunese family. Buzzati was the second of his parents' four children. One of his brothers was the well-known Italian geneticist [[Adriano Buzzati-Traverso]]. In 1924, he enrolled in the law faculty of the [[University of Milan]], where his father once taught. As he was completing his studies in law, he was hired, at the age of 22, by the Milanese newspaper ''Corriere della Sera'', where he would remain employed until his death. He began in the editorial department. Later he worked as a reporter, special correspondent, essayist, editor, and art critic. It is often said that his journalistic background informs his writing, lending even the most fantastic tales an aura of realism.
+Buzzati was born in San Pellegrino, [[Belluno]], in his family's ancestral villa. Buzzati's mother, a veterinarian by profession, was [[Venice|Venetian]] and his father, a professor of [[international law]], was from an old Bellunese family. Buzzati was the second of his parents' four children. One of his brothers was the well-known Italian geneticist [[Adriano Buzzati-Traverso]]. In 1924, he enrolled in the law faculty of the [[University of Milan]], where his father once taught. As he was completing his studies in law, he was hired, at the age of 22, by the Milanese newspaper ''Corriere della Sera'', where he would remain employed until his death. He began in the editorial department. Later he worked as a reporter, special correspondent, essayist, editor, and art critic. It is often said that his journalistic background informs his writing, lending even the most fantastic tales an aura of realism.
 Buzzati himself commented on the connection (as cited by [[Lawrence Venuti]]):
 {{quote|text=It seems to me, fantasy should be as close as possible to journalism. The right word is not "banalizing", although in fact a little of this is involved. Rather, I mean that the effectiveness of a fantastic story will depend on its being told in the most simple and practical terms.<ref>''Restless Nights – Selected Stories of Dino Buzzati'' (Introduction by [[Lawrence Venuti|L. Venuti]]) (North Point Press, 1983)</ref>}}
-During World War II, Buzzati served in Africa as a journalist attached to the [[Regia Marina]]. After the end of the war, ''Il deserto dei Tartari'' was published nationwide in Italy and quickly brought critical recognition and fame to the author. He married Almerina Antoniazzi in 1966. He published his last novel, ''Un amore,'' concerning love, in that year. In 1972, Buzzati died of cancer after a protracted illness.<ref>''Dino Buzzati d'hier et d'aujourd'hui: à la mémoire de Nella Giannetto. Actes du colloque international'', Besançon, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2008, p. 329.</ref>
+During [[World War II]], Buzzati served in Africa as a journalist attached to the [[Regia Marina]]. After the end of the war, ''Il deserto dei Tartari'' was published nationwide in Italy and quickly brought critical recognition and fame to the author. He married Almerina Antoniazzi in 1966. He published his last novel, ''Un amore,'' concerning love, in that year. In 1972, Buzzati died of cancer after a protracted illness.<ref>''Dino Buzzati d'hier et d'aujourd'hui: à la mémoire de Nella Giannetto. Actes du colloque international'', Besançon, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, 2008, p. 329.</ref>
 ==Works summary==
 Buzzati began writing fiction in 1933. His works of fiction include five novels, theatre and radio plays, [[libretto]]s, numerous books of short stories, and poetry. His libretti include four for operas by [[Luciano Chailly]], as well as one for ''La giacca dannata'' by [[Giulio Viozzi]].
-He wrote a children's book ''La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia'' (translated by [[Frances Lobb]] into English as ''[[The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily]]''). [[Lemony Snicket]] wrote an introduction and reader's companion to a 2005 English edition.
+He wrote a children's book, ''La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia'' (translated by [[Leila Buckley|Frances Lobb]] into English as ''[[The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily]]''). [[Lemony Snicket]] wrote an introduction and reader's companion to a 2005 English edition.
-Also an acclaimed artist, Buzzati combined his artistic and writerly exploits into making a [[comic book]] based on the myth of [[Orpheus]], ''[[Poem Strip]]''. As for the graphic element, he once explained that "for me, painting and writing are the same thing."<ref>Emanuele Occhipinti, Novecento and the Contemporary Period (Narrative and Theatre). ''The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies'', Vol. 78 (2018), pp. 314-323, at 318. </ref>
+Also an artist, Buzzati combined his artistic and writing exploits into making a [[comic book]] based on the myth of [[Orpheus]], ''[[Poem Strip]]''. Commenting on the graphic element, he once explained that "for me, painting and writing are the same thing."<ref>Emanuele Occhipinti, Novecento and the Contemporary Period (Narrative and Theatre). ''The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies'', Vol. 78 (2018), pp. 314-323, at 318. </ref>
-''[[The Tartar Steppe]]'', his most famous novel, tells the story of a military outpost that awaits a [[Tatars|Tartar]] invasion. In its sentiment and its conclusions, it has been compared to [[existentialist]] works, notably [[Albert Camus]]'s ''[[The Myth of Sisyphus]]''.<ref>''Sem' Gontsov'' (Introduction by E. Ambartsumov) (Izvestiya Press, 1985)</ref>
+''[[The Tartar Steppe]]'', his most famous novel, tells the story of a military outpost that awaits a [[Tatars|Tartar]] invasion. In its sentiment and its conclusions, it has been compared to [[Existentialism|existentialist]] works, notably [[Albert Camus]]'s ''[[The Myth of Sisyphus]]''.<ref>''Sem' Gontsov'' (Introduction by E. Ambartsumov) (Izvestiya Press, 1985)</ref>
-His writing is sometimes cited as [[magical realism]] or [[social alienation]]. The fate of the environment and of fantasy in the face of unbridled technological progress are recurring themes. He wrote a variety of short stories featuring fantastic animals such as the [[bogeyman]] and, his own invention, the colomber (''il colombre''). His ''[[Sessanta racconti]]'' collection of sixty stories, which won the Strega Prize in 1958, features elements of [[science fiction]], [[Fantasy fiction|fantasy]], and [[Horror fiction|horror]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.premiostrega.it/la-storia/vincitori/246/sessanta-racconti|title=Sessanta racconti|language=it|work=premiostrega.it|publisher=[[Strega Prize]]|access-date=2015-07-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140621145422/http://www.premiostrega.it/la-storia/vincitori/246/sessanta-racconti|archive-date=2014-06-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fantascienza.com/catalogo/autori/NILF10743/dino-buzzati/|title=Buzzati Dino|website=www.fantascienza.com}}</ref>
+His writing is sometimes cited as [[Magic realism|magical realism]] or [[social alienation]]. The fate of the environment and fantasy in the face of unbridled technological progress are recurring themes. He wrote a variety of short stories featuring fantastic animals such as the [[bogeyman]] and, his own invention, the colomber (''il colombre''). His ''[[Sessanta racconti]]'' collection of sixty stories, which won the Strega Prize in 1958, features elements of [[science fiction]], [[fantasy]], and [[Horror fiction|horror]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.premiostrega.it/la-storia/vincitori/246/sessanta-racconti|title=Sessanta racconti|language=it|work=premiostrega.it|publisher=[[Strega Prize]]|access-date=2015-07-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140621145422/http://www.premiostrega.it/la-storia/vincitori/246/sessanta-racconti|archive-date=2014-06-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fantascienza.com/catalogo/autori/NILF10743/dino-buzzati/|title=Buzzati Dino|website=www.fantascienza.com}}</ref>
 ==Bibliography==
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 * ''Il crollo della Baliverna'' (1954)
 * ''[[Sessanta racconti]]'' (1958, short stories). ''Sixty Stories''
-* ''Il grande ritratto'' (1960). ''[[Larger than Life (novel)|Larger than Life]]'', trans. Henry Reed (Secker & Warburg, 1962)
+* ''Il grande ritratto'' (1960). ''[[Larger than Life (novel)|Larger than Life]]'', trans. Henry Reed (Secker & Warburg, 1962); also as ''The Singularity'', trans. Anne Milano Appel (New York Review Books, 2024)
 * ''Un amore'' (1963). ''[[A Love Affair]]'', trans. Joseph Green (Farrar Straus, 1964)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buzzati |first=Dino |url=http://archive.org/details/loveaffair00buzz |title=A love affair |date=1964 |publisher=New York, Farrar, Straus |others=Internet Archive}}</ref>
 * ''Il capitano Pic e altre poesie'' (1965, poetry)
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 * ''Restless Nights: Selected Stories of Dino Buzzati'', trans. Lawrence Venuti (North Point Press, 1983)
 * ''The Siren: A Selection from Dino Buzzati'', trans. Lawrence Venuti (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1984)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Buzzati |first=Dino |url=http://archive.org/details/sirenselectionfr0000buzz |title=The siren : a selection from Dino Buzzati |date=1984 |publisher=San Francisco : North Point Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-86547-159-7}}</ref>
+* ''The Bewitched Bourgeois: Fifty Stories'', trans. Lawrence Venuti (New York Review Books, 2024)
-== Awards and honors ==
+== Awards and honours ==
 * 1951: Gargano Prize, for ''In quel preciso momento''
 * 1954: Naples Prize, for ''Il crollo della Baliverna''
@@ Line 69: / Line 70: @@
 * Giuseppe Leone, "Dino Buzzati e le grandi 'costruzioni' letterarie – ''La fortezza di Bastiani'' non è ''Il castello'' di Kafka", Il Punto Stampa, [[Lecco]], Italy, April 1997.
 * Luis Montiel (2010), “Una meditatio mortis contemporánea. La reflexión de Dino Buzzati sobre la caducidad de la vida humana”. Medicina e historia, 2/2010, 1–15.
+==In modern culture==
+In 2019, the Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist from [[Last Dinosaurs]] Lachlan Caskey, known as Notes From Under Ground, referenced Buzzati on his solo album ''Partner'' by making his name one of the song titles.
 ==External links==
@@ Line 94: / Line 98: @@
 [[Category:Italian children's writers]]
 [[Category:Strega Prize winners]]
-[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer]]
+[[Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Italy]]
 [[Category:Italian opera librettists]]
 [[Category:Deaths from cancer in Lombardy]]

v t e Recipients of the Strega Prize
1947–1950	1947 Ennio Flaiano 1948 Vincenzo Cardarelli 1949 Giovanni Battista Angioletti 1950 Cesare Pavese
1951–1975	1951 Corrado Alvaro 1952 Alberto Moravia 1953 Massimo Bontempelli 1954 Mario Soldati 1955 Giovanni Comisso 1956 Giorgio Bassani 1957 Elsa Morante 1958 Dino Buzzati 1959 Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa 1960 Carlo Cassola 1961 Raffaele La Capria 1962 Mario Tobino 1963 Natalia Ginzburg 1964 Giovanni Arpino 1965 Paolo Volponi 1966 Michele Prisco 1967 Anna Maria Ortese 1968 Alberto Bevilacqua 1969 Lalla Romano 1970 Guido Piovene 1971 Raffaello Brignetti 1972 Giuseppe Dessì 1973 Manlio Cancogni 1974 Guglielmo Petroni 1975 Tommaso Landolfi
1976–2000	1976 Fausta Cialente 1977 Fulvio Tomizza 1978 Ferdinando Camon 1979 Primo Levi 1980 Vittorio Gorresio 1981 Umberto Eco 1982 Goffredo Parise 1983 Mario Pomilio 1984 Pietro Citati 1985 Carlo Sgorlon 1986 Maria Bellonci 1987 Stanislao Nievo 1988 Gesualdo Bufalino 1989 Giuseppe Pontiggia 1990 Sebastiano Vassalli 1991 Paolo Volponi 1992 Vincenzo Consolo 1993 Domenico Rea 1994 Giorgio Montefoschi 1995 Mariateresa Di Lascia 1996 Alessandro Barbero 1997 Claudio Magris 1998 Enzo Siciliano 1999 Dacia Maraini 2000 Ernesto Ferrero
2001–present	2001 Domenico Starnone 2002 Margaret Mazzantini 2003 Melania Gaia Mazzucco 2004 Ugo Riccarelli 2005 Maurizio Maggiani 2006 Sandro Veronesi 2007 Niccolò Ammaniti 2008 Paolo Giordano 2009 Tiziano Scarpa 2010 Antonio Pennacchi 2011 Edoardo Nesi 2012 Alessandro Piperno 2013 Walter Siti 2014 Francesco Piccolo 2015 Nicola Lagioia 2016 Edoardo Albinati 2017 Paolo Cognetti 2018 Helena Janeczek 2019 Antonio Scurati 2020 Sandro Veronesi 2021 Emanuele Trevi 2022 Mario Desiati

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF 2 FAST WorldCat
National	Germany United States France BnF data Japan Italy Australia Czech Republic Russia 2 Spain Portugal Netherlands Norway Latvia Croatia Greece Korea Sweden Poland Vatican 2 Israel Catalonia Belgium
Academics	CiNii
Artists	ULAN MusicBrainz RKD Artists
People	Trove Italian People Deutsche Biographie 2 DDB
Other	IdRef SNAC RISM