Franco Fortini
Encyclopedia
Franco Fortini was the pseudonym
of Franco Lattes, (September 10, 1917 - November 28, 1994), an Italian poet
, writer
, translator, essayist, literary critic and Marxist
intellectual.
, the son of a Jewish lawyer, Dino Lattes, and a Catholic
mother, Emma Fortini Del Giglio. He studied law
and humanities
at the University, and in 1939 was received into the Protestant church. In 1940 he adopted his mother's last name to avoid racial persecution
. In 1941 he joined the Italian army as an officier. After September 8, 1943, he sought refuge in Switzerland
(where he met European intellectuals, politicians and critics), then in 1944 he returned to fight with the partisans in Valdossola.
When the war was over he settled in Milan, working as journalist
, copywriter and translator.
Soon after the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956, Fortini left the Italian Socialist Party
which he had joined in 1944.
From 1964 to 1972 he taught in secondary school
s, and from 1976 occupied the Chair of Literary Criticism at the University of Siena
. During this period he had considerable influence on younger generations in search of social and intellecual change. He was considered one of the most important intellectuals of the Italian New Left. He died in Milan
.
He was associated with some of the most important Europe
an writers and intellectuals, such as Sartre
, Brecht
, Barthes
and Lukács.
Fortini translated works by Goethe, Brecht, Simon Weil, Milton, Proust, Kafka, Eluard, Frénaud, Flaubert, Gide and many others.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of Franco Lattes, (September 10, 1917 - November 28, 1994), an Italian poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, translator, essayist, literary critic and Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
intellectual.
Life
Franco Fortini was born in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, the son of a Jewish lawyer, Dino Lattes, and a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
mother, Emma Fortini Del Giglio. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
at the University, and in 1939 was received into the Protestant church. In 1940 he adopted his mother's last name to avoid racial persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
. In 1941 he joined the Italian army as an officier. After September 8, 1943, he sought refuge in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(where he met European intellectuals, politicians and critics), then in 1944 he returned to fight with the partisans in Valdossola.
When the war was over he settled in Milan, working as journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, copywriter and translator.
Soon after the Russian invasion of Hungary in 1956, Fortini left the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
which he had joined in 1944.
From 1964 to 1972 he taught in secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s, and from 1976 occupied the Chair of Literary Criticism at the University of Siena
University of Siena
The University of Siena in Siena, Tuscany is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called Studium Senese, the University of Siena was founded in 1240. The University has around 20,000 students, nearly half of Siena's total population of around 54,000...
. During this period he had considerable influence on younger generations in search of social and intellecual change. He was considered one of the most important intellectuals of the Italian New Left. He died in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
He was associated with some of the most important Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an writers and intellectuals, such as Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
, Barthes
Roland Barthes
Roland Gérard Barthes was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotician. Barthes' ideas explored a diverse range of fields and he influenced the development of schools of theory including structuralism, semiotics, existentialism, social theory, Marxism, anthropology and...
and Lukács.
Fortini translated works by Goethe, Brecht, Simon Weil, Milton, Proust, Kafka, Eluard, Frénaud, Flaubert, Gide and many others.
Posthumous
- Poesie inedite (Unpublished poems), ed. P.V. Mengaldo, Einaudi, Torino 1995
- Trentasei moderni. Breve secondo Novecento, pref. by Romano Luperini, Manni, Lecce 1996
- Disobbedienze 1. Gli anni della sconfitta. Scritti sul Manifesto 1985-1994, pref. by Rossanna Rossanda, manifestolibri, Roma 1997
- Dialoghi con Tasso, ed. Pier Vincenzo Mengaldo and Donatello Santarone, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 1998
- Dissobedienze II. Gli anni dei movimenti. Scritti sul Manifesto 1972-1985, manifestolibri, Roma 1988
- Franchi dialoghi, F. Fortini - F. Loi, Manni, Lecce 1998
- Il dolore della verità: Maggiani incontra Fortini, ed. Erminio Risso, Manni, Lecce 2000
- Le rose dell'abisso, ed. Donatello Santarone, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2000
- Disegni Incisioni Dipinti. Catalogo ragionato della produzione pittorica e grafica di Franco Fortini, ed. Enrico Crispolti, Quodlibet, Macerata 2001
- I cani del Sinai, Quodlibet, Macerata 2002
- Saggi ed epigrammi, ed. Luca Lenzini pref. by Rossana Rossanda, Mondadori, Milano 2003
- Un dialogo ininterrotto. Interviste 1952-1994, ed. Velio Abati, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2003
- Un giorno o l'altro, Quodlibet, Macerata 2006
Secondary literature (in English)
- Thomas E. Peterson, The ethical muse of Franco Fortini, University Press of Florida, Gainesville 1997, ISBN 0-8130-1479-4
- http://books.google.it/books?id=KfdGOcWVGJIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Poem+of+the+Roses.+Linguistic+Expressionism+in+the+Poetry+of+Franco+Fortini&source=bl&ots=3xQLTFZj6B&sig=pCk5ti3FBTp9XKECLG0Czf7FmIw&hl=it&ei=kSmeTejcDIPxsgbM1sGLAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=falseE. Passannanti, Poem of the Roses. Linguistic Expressionism in the Poetry of Franco Fortini, Series Transference, Troubador, Leicester, 2004]
Secondary literature (in Italian)
- A Berardinelli, Franco Fortini, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1973
- R. Luperini, La lotta mentale. Per un profilo di Franco Fortini. Editori Riuniti, Roma 1986
- R. Pagnanelli, Fortini, Transeuropa, Ancona 1988
- P. Sabbatino, Gli inverni di Fortini. Il rischio dell'errore nella cultura e nella poesia, Bastogni, Foggia 1982
- L. Lenzini, Il poeta di nome Fortini. Saggi e proposte di lettura, Manni, Lecce 1999
- D. Balicco, Non parlo a tutti. Franco Fortini intellettuale e politico, Manifestolibri, Roma 2006
- Paolo Jachia - Luca Lenzini - Pia Mondelli (a c. di), Bibliografia degli scritti di Franco Fortini (1935-1991), Firenze, Le Monnier, 1989.
- Elisabetta Nencini, "L'Archivio Franco Fortini della Facoltà di Lettere dell'Università di Siena", in Raffaella Castagnola (a c. di), Archivi letterari del '900, Firenze, Franco Cesati, 2000, pp. 113–116.