Sandro Veronesi
Encyclopedia
Sandro Veronesi, born in Prato
, Tuscany
in 1959, is an Italian
novel
ist, essay
ist, and journalist
. After earning a degree in architecture
at the University of Florence
, he opted for a writing career in his mid to late twenties. Veronesi published his first book at the age of 25, a collection of poetry (Il resto del cielo, 1984) that has remained his only venture into verse writing. What has followed since includes five novels, three books of essays, one theatrical piece, numerous introductions to novels and collections of essays, interviews, screenplay, and television programs.
His first novel, Per dove parte questo treno allegro (1988), is the story of a typical relationship of the 1980s between father and son. A troubled rapport between them, the father is an adventurous businessman who, while deep in debt, has squirreled away a few hundred thousand dollars in Switzerland
. The son, an insipid thirty-year-old, who acts half his age, is a do-nothing with strange habits. While the two spend a few strained weeks together, their lives eventually begin to find some similarities.
With his second novel, Gli sfiorati (1990), Veronesi approaches the family
thematics in a much more dramatic fashion. A family recomposed of two previously split ones, here too the father and son experience a troubled relationship. Mete, however, finds comfort in a developing rapport with his beautiful stepsister. All this takes place in Rome
, intertwined with other narratives of various social types that one might expect to find in such a chaotic metropolis that Veronesi depicts. Experimental, in some ways, this novels verges on the fantastic, while the author offers up a portrait of the early nineties and its polymorphous, youthful generation, represented herein by the literal, and metaphorical, sign of “schiumevolezza.”
Faithful to the theme of troubled relationships between two people of different generations, Venite venite B-52 (1995) changes the dynamics to that of father-daughter. As he did in his previous novels, especially in Gli sfiorati, here too Veronesi offers up a gallery of extraordinary characters, beginning with the father, Ennio Miraglia, a representation of the 1980s consumerist
Italy, and his daughter Viola, whose desire to free herself of her father’s Italy is underscored in the novel’s title, her hopes that the American bombers come and destroy that which she abhors.
La forza del passato (2000; Premio Viareggio L. Repaci and the Premio Campiello
) continues the father-son relationship. This time, however, the father is absent (dead), and – again different from before – we move from a positive memory of the dead father to one that questions his son’s knowledge of who he truly was. Gianni Orzan is a writer of children’s books
whose life is suddenly shattered when he realizes that what he always believed about his father, and by extension of himself, may have all been a façade. Through Gianni’s eventual stream-of-consciousness, both he and the novel’s reader constantly shift between the present and, through the character’s memory, the past.
Ring City (2001) is a “children’s novel,” for lack of a better term. As such, it figures as a wonderful companion piece to La forza del passato, as it is surely a book Gianni Orzan would have written. Topolino (Mickey Mouse
) must confront the Fosterman clan, who has taken over the once tranquil city of Vocalia, transforming it into a giant boxing ring
.
Caos calmo (2005) won him Italy's most prestigious award, the Strega Prize
. Having lost his "wife" to an unnatural death, Pietro Paladini is able to recover his existential bearings only after re-examining life from its metaphorical underbelly, in his subsequent dealings with the people in his life, especially when he unorthodoxly hangs around in front of his daughter's school.
Brucia Troia (2007) is Veronesi's latest novel, being released May 2007.
An assiduous essayist, much of the material in his non-fiction collections appeared in various daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, and serials, which include: Il manifesto
, Epoca, Il Gambero Rosso, La Gazzetta del Prato, l'Unità
, Nuovi Argomenti, Panta, Corriere della Sera
. These books to date include: Cronache italiane (1992) and Live. Ritratti, sopralluoghi e collaudi (Bompiani, 1996), each of which originate chiefly from his journalistic writings. Occhio per occhio. La pena di morte in quattro storie (1992), instead, is an integral study of the death penalty and how it is administered in four different localities around the world: Sudan
, Taiwan
, the Soviet Union
, and California
. In 2002, Bompiani brought out his previous two collections, together with his “Nuove cronache” (1996–2002), in Superalbo. Le storie complete.
In addition to the above, he has also written numerous introductions of various sorts for numerous books that range from novels to collections of essays on many topics, including soccer and rock music
. Most recently, he ventured into the world of theatre
with his No Man’s Land (2003), a drama originating from and similar to Danis Tanovic
’s film
of 2001, this time however with a good dose of Veronesi’s caustic irony
.
Veronesi collaborates with numerous newspapers and licterature magazines. He is also the founder of the publishing house Fandango Libri along with Domenico Procacci, and of the web radio Radiogas.
In 2010, italian
newsmagazine
La Repubblica
reported that Fandango's artistic director, as part of the promotional campaign of new Veronesi's book, titled “XY”, have announced to have inserted some fictional articles in italian language
wikipedia
to attract new potential buyers. Shortly after he publicly apologized, claiming also to have included just one article in it.wiki.
Prato
Prato is a city and comune in Tuscany, Italy, the capital of the Province of Prato. The city is situated at the foot of Monte Retaia , the last peak in the Calvana chain. The lowest altitude in the comune is 32 m, near the Cascine di Tavola, and the highest is the peak of Monte Cantagrillo...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
in 1959, is an Italian
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...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
ist, and 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...
. After earning a degree in architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at the University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
, he opted for a writing career in his mid to late twenties. Veronesi published his first book at the age of 25, a collection of poetry (Il resto del cielo, 1984) that has remained his only venture into verse writing. What has followed since includes five novels, three books of essays, one theatrical piece, numerous introductions to novels and collections of essays, interviews, screenplay, and television programs.
Works
Il resto del cielo consists of twenty-five short compositions, none longer than fourteen verses, that speak to the general problematics of communication, all of which is underscored by a constant coincidentia oppositorum. Seemingly simple verses, they speak eloquently to the narrating voice’s quotidian landscape.His first novel, Per dove parte questo treno allegro (1988), is the story of a typical relationship of the 1980s between father and son. A troubled rapport between them, the father is an adventurous businessman who, while deep in debt, has squirreled away a few hundred thousand dollars 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....
. The son, an insipid thirty-year-old, who acts half his age, is a do-nothing with strange habits. While the two spend a few strained weeks together, their lives eventually begin to find some similarities.
With his second novel, Gli sfiorati (1990), Veronesi approaches the family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
thematics in a much more dramatic fashion. A family recomposed of two previously split ones, here too the father and son experience a troubled relationship. Mete, however, finds comfort in a developing rapport with his beautiful stepsister. All this takes place in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, intertwined with other narratives of various social types that one might expect to find in such a chaotic metropolis that Veronesi depicts. Experimental, in some ways, this novels verges on the fantastic, while the author offers up a portrait of the early nineties and its polymorphous, youthful generation, represented herein by the literal, and metaphorical, sign of “schiumevolezza.”
Faithful to the theme of troubled relationships between two people of different generations, Venite venite B-52 (1995) changes the dynamics to that of father-daughter. As he did in his previous novels, especially in Gli sfiorati, here too Veronesi offers up a gallery of extraordinary characters, beginning with the father, Ennio Miraglia, a representation of the 1980s consumerist
Consumerism
Consumerism is a social and economic order that is based on the systematic creation and fostering of a desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts. The term is often associated with criticisms of consumption starting with Thorstein Veblen...
Italy, and his daughter Viola, whose desire to free herself of her father’s Italy is underscored in the novel’s title, her hopes that the American bombers come and destroy that which she abhors.
La forza del passato (2000; Premio Viareggio L. Repaci and the Premio Campiello
Premio Campiello
The Premio Campiello is an annual Italian literary prize.A Jury of Literary Experts identifies books published during the year and, in a public hearing, selects five of those as finalists. These books are called il Premio Selezione Campiello...
) continues the father-son relationship. This time, however, the father is absent (dead), and – again different from before – we move from a positive memory of the dead father to one that questions his son’s knowledge of who he truly was. Gianni Orzan is a writer of children’s books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
whose life is suddenly shattered when he realizes that what he always believed about his father, and by extension of himself, may have all been a façade. Through Gianni’s eventual stream-of-consciousness, both he and the novel’s reader constantly shift between the present and, through the character’s memory, the past.
Ring City (2001) is a “children’s novel,” for lack of a better term. As such, it figures as a wonderful companion piece to La forza del passato, as it is surely a book Gianni Orzan would have written. Topolino (Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
) must confront the Fosterman clan, who has taken over the once tranquil city of Vocalia, transforming it into a giant boxing ring
Boxing ring
A boxing ring is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring, which is set on a raised platform, is square with a post at each corner to which four parallel rows of ropes are attached with a turnbuckle...
.
Caos calmo (2005) won him Italy's most prestigious award, the Strega Prize
Strega Prize
The Strega Prize is the most prestigious Italian literary award. It has been awarded annually since 1947 for the best work of prose fiction by an Italian author and first published between 1 May of the previous year and 30 April...
. Having lost his "wife" to an unnatural death, Pietro Paladini is able to recover his existential bearings only after re-examining life from its metaphorical underbelly, in his subsequent dealings with the people in his life, especially when he unorthodoxly hangs around in front of his daughter's school.
Brucia Troia (2007) is Veronesi's latest novel, being released May 2007.
An assiduous essayist, much of the material in his non-fiction collections appeared in various daily and weekly newspapers and magazines, and serials, which include: Il manifesto
Il Manifesto
il manifesto is an Italian newspaper. While it calls itself communist, it is not connected to any political party. It was founded as a monthly review in 1969 by a collective of left-wing journalists engaged in the wave of critical thought and activity on the Italian left in that period. Prominent...
, Epoca, Il Gambero Rosso, La Gazzetta del Prato, l'Unità
L'Unità
l'Unità is an Italian left-wing newspaper, originally founded as official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party.-History:L'Unità was founded by Antonio Gramsci on 12 February 1924, as the newspaper of workers and peasants, the official newspaper of Italian Communist Party : it was printed in...
, Nuovi Argomenti, Panta, Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera
The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...
. These books to date include: Cronache italiane (1992) and Live. Ritratti, sopralluoghi e collaudi (Bompiani, 1996), each of which originate chiefly from his journalistic writings. Occhio per occhio. La pena di morte in quattro storie (1992), instead, is an integral study of the death penalty and how it is administered in four different localities around the world: Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 2002, Bompiani brought out his previous two collections, together with his “Nuove cronache” (1996–2002), in Superalbo. Le storie complete.
In addition to the above, he has also written numerous introductions of various sorts for numerous books that range from novels to collections of essays on many topics, including soccer and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Most recently, he ventured into the world of theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
with his No Man’s Land (2003), a drama originating from and similar to Danis Tanovic
Danis Tanovic
Danis Tanović is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter.Tanović is best known for having directed and written the script for the 2001 Bosnian movie No Man's Land which won an Academy Award. He was a member of the jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.-Biography:Danis Tanović was born in the...
’s film
No Man's Land (2001 film)
No Man's Land is a 2001 tragic war drama that is set in the midst of the Bosnian war. The film is a parable and marked the debut of Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanović...
of 2001, this time however with a good dose of Veronesi’s caustic irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
.
Veronesi collaborates with numerous newspapers and licterature magazines. He is also the founder of the publishing house Fandango Libri along with Domenico Procacci, and of the web radio Radiogas.
In 2010, italian
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...
newsmagazine
Newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published piece of paper, magazine or a radio or television program, usually weekly, featuring articles or segments on current events...
La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
reported that Fandango's artistic director, as part of the promotional campaign of new Veronesi's book, titled “XY”, have announced to have inserted some fictional articles in italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
to attract new potential buyers. Shortly after he publicly apologized, claiming also to have included just one article in it.wiki.
Fiction
- Il resto e il cielo. Prato: Edizioni del Palazzo, 1984.
- Per dove parte questo treno. Rome: Theoria, 1988
- Gli sfiorati. Milan: Mondadori, 1990.
- Venite venite B-52. Milan: Feltrinelli, 1995.
- La forza del passato. Milan: Bompiani, 2000.
- Ring City. Milan: Disney, 2001.
- No Man’s Land. Milan: Bompiani: 2003.
- Caos calmo. Milan: Bompiani, 2005.
- Brucia Troia. Milan: Bompaini, 2007.
- XY. Fandango Libri, 2010.
Non-fiction
- Cronache italiane. Milan: Mondadori, 1991.
- Occhio per occhio. La pena di morte in quattro storie. Milan: Mondadori, 1992.
- Live. Ritratti, sopralluoghi e collaudi. Milan: Bompiani, 1996.
- Superalbo. Le storie complete. Milan: Bompiani, 2002.
Introductions, essays, and interviews
- “Il trattino, uno e trino,” interview with Francesca Serafini in Punteggiatura. Alessandro Baricco, Filippo Taricco, Giorgio Vasta, Dario Voltolini, eds. BUR: Scuola Holden, 2001, p 145-54.
- “John Fante: la giovinezza come destino” in John Fante. Un anno terribile. Rome: Fazi, 2001, p 7-16.
- “Cento piccoli Totti,” Nuovi argomenti (January–March 2000) 5th series: 84-93.
- “Interview” with Cristiana Lardo, in L’ultima letteratura italiana: scrittori a Tor Vergata: interventi ed interviste. Cristiana Lardo and Fabio Pierangeli, eds. Rome: Vecchiarelli, 1999, p 135-41.
- “Tra gli Smith e san Paolo (epigrafi)” in Improvviso il novecento: Pasolini professore. Giordano Meacci, ed. Rome: Minimum Fax, 1999, p 189-226. (interview/essay)
- “Tirchieria del racconto e generosità del romanzo,” in Seminario sul racconto. Luigi Rustichelli, ed. Boca Raton: Bordighera Press, 1998, p 48-59.
- “Interview”, with Laura Lepri, in Panta: special issue, “Scrittura creativa. La scrittura creativa raccontata dagli scrittori che la insegnano,” Laura Lepri, ed. Milano: Bompiani, 1997, p 45-55.
- “Ma smettetela di chiamarci giovani scrittori,” L’Unità, 8 aprile 1995: 21.
Further reading
- Barbara Castaldo, “Sandro Veronesi” in Dictionary of Literary Biography: Contemporary Italian Fiction. Columbia: Bruccoli Clark Layman. Forthcoming.
- Filippo La Porta, “Sandro Veronesi” in La nuova narrativa italiana: travestimenti e stili di fine secolo. Turin: Bollati Boringhieri, 1995. 58-62.
- Cristiana Lardo, “Sandro Veronesi: dichiarazione d’amore,” in L’ultima letteratura italiana: scrittori a Tor Vergata: interventi ed interviste. Cristiana Lardo and Fabio Pierangeli, eds. Rome: Vecchiarelli, 1999. 133-34.
- Stefania Meli, “Esistenze abusive nei romanzi di Sandro Veronesi,” in L’ultima letteratura italiana: scrittori a Tor Vergata: interventi ed interviste. Cristiana Lardo e Fabio Pierangeli, eds. Rome: Vecchiarelli, 1999. 142-46;
- Anthony Julian Tamburri, “Abitare in limine: Per dove parte questo treno [mica tanto] allegro,” Esperienze letterarie. Vol. 40 (2005): forthcoming, 37 ms.