Giuseppe Orioli
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe "Pino" Orioli was a Florentine
bookseller best known for privately publishing the unexpurgated first edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover
and for his long association with Norman Douglas
.
Giuseppe Orioli was born in 1884 in Alfonsine
, the son of a shopkeeper. He moved to Florence to work in a barber shop when he was 14 years old. He later served in the military and lived in Paris and London for some time after leaving the military and before returning to Florence. In Florence he established a small shop that sold antique books.
Orioli's relationship with Norman Douglas began in Florence after Douglas settled there in 1922. Orioli undertook the private publication of many of Douglas' subsequent writings.
D.H. Lawrence had sought to have Lady Chatterley's Lover published conventionally by his publishers in England and the United States, but they were reluctant to undertake its publication because of its explicit sexual content. To circumvent censorship
, Norman Douglas urged Lawrence to have the book published privately in Florence, and is believed to have introduced him to Orioli. In March 1928, Orioli and Lawrence took Lawrence's unexpurgated typescript to a Florence printing shop where type was set by hand
by Italian workers who did not know any English, resulting in numerous errors in the typesetting
. After several delays, including the time required for extensive proofreading by Lawrence, about 1000 copies of the novel were released in July 1928.
Orioli and Douglas traveled extensively together and were so close that they were known to their friends by the name "Pinorman", a portmanteau word
combining Orioli's nickname "Pino" with Douglas' given name of "Norman." Together they wrote Venus in the Kitchen, a collection of aphrodisiac
recipes that was published in 1952 under the pseudonym Pilaff Bey.
Orioli died in 1942 in Lisbon
, where he is buried.
Florence
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....
bookseller best known for privately publishing the unexpurgated first edition of Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Lady Chatterley's Lover is a novel by D. H. Lawrence, first published in 1928. The first edition was printed privately in Florence, Italy with assistance from Pino Orioli; it could not be published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960...
and for his long association with Norman Douglas
Norman Douglas
George Norman Douglas was a British writer, now best known for his 1917 novel South Wind.-Life:Norman Douglas was born in Thüringen, Austria . His mother was Vanda von Poellnitz...
.
Giuseppe Orioli was born in 1884 in Alfonsine
Alfonsine
Alfonsine is a comune in the Province of Ravenna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 60 km east of Bologna and about 15 km northwest of Ravenna....
, the son of a shopkeeper. He moved to Florence to work in a barber shop when he was 14 years old. He later served in the military and lived in Paris and London for some time after leaving the military and before returning to Florence. In Florence he established a small shop that sold antique books.
Orioli's relationship with Norman Douglas began in Florence after Douglas settled there in 1922. Orioli undertook the private publication of many of Douglas' subsequent writings.
D.H. Lawrence had sought to have Lady Chatterley's Lover published conventionally by his publishers in England and the United States, but they were reluctant to undertake its publication because of its explicit sexual content. To circumvent censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
, Norman Douglas urged Lawrence to have the book published privately in Florence, and is believed to have introduced him to Orioli. In March 1928, Orioli and Lawrence took Lawrence's unexpurgated typescript to a Florence printing shop where type was set by hand
Letterpress printing
Letterpress printing is relief printing of text and image using a press with a "type-high bed" printing press and movable type, in which a reversed, raised surface is inked and then pressed into a sheet of paper to obtain a positive right-reading image...
by Italian workers who did not know any English, resulting in numerous errors in the typesetting
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
. After several delays, including the time required for extensive proofreading by Lawrence, about 1000 copies of the novel were released in July 1928.
Orioli and Douglas traveled extensively together and were so close that they were known to their friends by the name "Pinorman", a portmanteau word
Portmanteau word
A portmanteau or portmanteau word is a blend of two words or morphemes into one new word. A portmanteau word typically combines both sounds and meanings, as in smog, coined by blending smoke and fog. More generally, it may refer to any term or phrase that combines two or more meanings...
combining Orioli's nickname "Pino" with Douglas' given name of "Norman." Together they wrote Venus in the Kitchen, a collection of aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac
An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexuality and love. Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable...
recipes that was published in 1952 under the pseudonym Pilaff Bey.
Orioli died in 1942 in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, where he is buried.
Further reading
- Richard Aldington (1954), Pinorman: Personal Recollections of Norman Douglas, Pino Orioli and Charles Prentice, William Heinemann Ltd.
- Mark Holloway (1976), Norman Douglas: A Biography, Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd. ISBN 0436200759.