Luigi Meneghello
Encyclopedia
Luigi Meneghello was an Italian
contemporary writer and scholar.
, a small town in the countryside near Vicenza
, on February 16, 1922. His father was a craftsman
and his mother was a teacher
. Meneghello entered in 1939 the University of Padua
to study philosophy
. From 1940 to 1942 worked for Paduan newspaper Il Veneto. In the early Forties, he had his first contacts with anti-fascism
and, after a short time in the Army, entered the Partito d'azione and became active in the resistance movement
in 1943. Of his early life, he said:
In 1945 Meneghello graduated cum laude with a thesis on the philosophy of Benedetto Croce
. In 1947 he moved to the University of Reading
(England
) with a one-year British Council
scholarship and afterward he began teaching aspects of the Italian Renaissance in the English Department. In 1948 he married Katia Bleier, a survivor of Auschwitz. In 1955 a separate Italian section was formed followed by the founding of a Department of Italian Studies in 1961, headed by himself until his retirement in 1980. He was offered, and accepted, a chair as Professor in Italian Literature
. After an intense academic activity and as translator (often with the pseudonym Ugo Varnai), in 1963 he published his first book, part novel part autobiography, Libera nos a Malo (English translation titled Deliver Us) about the narrow-minded but vital milieu of his home town, Malo. The title is a pun on the Latin words for deliver us from evil and the name of the town. One year later he published I piccoli maestri (in English, The Outlaws; literally, "The little teachers"), "one of the few non-rhetorical, and therefore all the more effective, memoirs of the Italian resistance, which is true in every detail" (L. and G. Lepschy, in the "Guardian obituary"). A film version with the same title was directed in 1998 by Daniele Luchetti
.
In 1980 Meneghello retired from the University of Reading, to devote his time to writing. He lived in London
and later in Thiene
(near Vicenza), where he moved permanently after his wife's death in 2004. He died there in June 2007.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
contemporary writer and scholar.
Biography
Luigi Meneghello was born in MaloMalo, Italy
Malo is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. SP46 goes through it.Italian writer Luigi Meneghello was born in Malo in 1922 and remembered it in his first book Libera nos a Malo.-Sources:*...
, a small town in the countryside near Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
, on February 16, 1922. His father was a craftsman
Master craftsman
A master craftsman or master tradesman was a member of a guild. In the European guild system, only masters were allowed to be members of the guild....
and his mother was a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. Meneghello entered in 1939 the University of Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
to study philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. From 1940 to 1942 worked for Paduan newspaper Il Veneto. In the early Forties, he had his first contacts with anti-fascism
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
and, after a short time in the Army, entered the Partito d'azione and became active in the resistance movement
Italian resistance movement
The Italian resistance is the umbrella term for the various partisan forces formed by pro-Allied Italians during World War II...
in 1943. Of his early life, he said:
In 1945 Meneghello graduated cum laude with a thesis on the philosophy of Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce
Benedetto Croce was an Italian idealist philosopher, and occasionally also politician. He wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, methodology of history writing and aesthetics, and was a prominent liberal, although he opposed laissez-faire free trade...
. In 1947 he moved to the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
(England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) with a one-year British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
scholarship and afterward he began teaching aspects of the Italian Renaissance in the English Department. In 1948 he married Katia Bleier, a survivor of Auschwitz. In 1955 a separate Italian section was formed followed by the founding of a Department of Italian Studies in 1961, headed by himself until his retirement in 1980. He was offered, and accepted, a chair as Professor in Italian Literature
Italian literature
Italian literature is literature written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in Italy in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian....
. After an intense academic activity and as translator (often with the pseudonym Ugo Varnai), in 1963 he published his first book, part novel part autobiography, Libera nos a Malo (English translation titled Deliver Us) about the narrow-minded but vital milieu of his home town, Malo. The title is a pun on the Latin words for deliver us from evil and the name of the town. One year later he published I piccoli maestri (in English, The Outlaws; literally, "The little teachers"), "one of the few non-rhetorical, and therefore all the more effective, memoirs of the Italian resistance, which is true in every detail" (L. and G. Lepschy, in the "Guardian obituary"). A film version with the same title was directed in 1998 by Daniele Luchetti
Daniele Luchetti
Daniele Luchetti is an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor.He was born in Rome. He debuted as assistant director for Nanni Moretti in Bianca and La messa è finita...
.
In 1980 Meneghello retired from the University of Reading, to devote his time to writing. He lived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and later in Thiene
Thiene
Thiene is a city and comune in the province of Vicenza, in northern Italy, located approximately 75 km west of Venice and 200 km east of Milan....
(near Vicenza), where he moved permanently after his wife's death in 2004. He died there in June 2007.
External links
- Obituary, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 1 August 2007 - Obituary, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 17 August 2007 (originary, slightly different version at the University of Reading website) - Villa Clementi: istituzione culturale del Comune di Malo, webpage about Meneghello by Malo town council
- Luigi Meneghello - an introduction, article at CitizendiumCitizendiumCitizendium is an English-language wiki-based free encyclopedia project launched by Larry Sanger, who co-founded Wikipedia in 2001....