Tommaso Besozzi
Encyclopedia
Tommaso Francesco Besozzi (Vigevano, January 20, 1903 – Rome, November 18, 1964), also known as Tom, was an Italian
journalist and writer. He is considered to be one of the most important post-war journalists of Italy.
in Lombardy
, northern Italy
, in a rather affluent family, he was one of four children; one sister and two brothers, who both were killed in World War I
. He studied at university and started to work as a journalist for the Corriere della Sera
in 1926 in Milan
. In 1937 he reported from Ethiopia
after the Italian invasion
and occupation.
In 1947 he moved to the weekly magazine L'Europeo
, for which he wrote important investigative reports. His style earned him the epithet “Hemingway
of Europeo”.
Rumour has it that when Hemingway was asked in the 1950s if an Italian Hemingway existed, he said: “You also have one who writes like me: Tommaso Besozzi."
In February 1947 he wrote a historical article on the Istrian exodus
, when Italian citizens were leaving Pola
, when the regions of Istria
, Dalmatia
, and Venezia Giulia, were handed over to Yugoslavia
after the Paris Peace Treaty.
In 1948 he published an article in L'Europeo, showing the misery and hunger of the people of Africo
, in the Aspromonte
mountains, in Calabria
. The article, entitled "Africo, symbol of disparity", and the series of documentary photographs by Tino Petrelli
produced an outrage from national public opinion which, at the time, was rediscovering the dramatic situation of the "southern question".
In July 1950, he wrote an article about the mysterious death of the Sicilian
bandit Salvatore Giuliano
, shot and killed in Castelvetrano
. According to the police, Giuliano died resisting arrest. However, Besozzi soon exposed the official version as fiction. The headline of the article read: "The only thing certain is that he is dead." The article established his name and is often mentioned as one of the examples of investigative journalism in Italy.
In the 1950s he returned to Africa as a special correspondent for L'Europeo and Gente
. His articles were later published in the book Il sogno del settimo viaggio (The dream of the seventh journey).
Lonesome, victim of a writer’s block, he committed suicide with a homemade bomb on November 18, 1964, in Rome
.
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...
journalist and writer. He is considered to be one of the most important post-war journalists of Italy.
Biography
Born in VigevanoVigevano
Vigevano is a town and comune in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, northern Italy, which possesses many artistic treasures and runs a huge industrial business. It is at the center of a district called Lomellina, a great rice-growing agricultural centre...
in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
, northern Italy
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...
, in a rather affluent family, he was one of four children; one sister and two brothers, who both were killed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He studied at university and started to work as a journalist for the 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 :...
in 1926 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 ,...
. In 1937 he reported from Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
after the Italian invasion
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
and occupation.
In 1947 he moved to the weekly magazine L'Europeo
L'Europeo
L'Europeo was a prominent Italian weekly news magazine launched on November 4, 1945, by the founder-editors Gianni Mazzocchi and Arrigo Benedetti. The magazine stopped publication in 1995.-Orientation:...
, for which he wrote important investigative reports. His style earned him the epithet “Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
of Europeo”.
Rumour has it that when Hemingway was asked in the 1950s if an Italian Hemingway existed, he said: “You also have one who writes like me: Tommaso Besozzi."
In February 1947 he wrote a historical article on the Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
, when Italian citizens were leaving Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, when the regions of Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, and Venezia Giulia, were handed over to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
after the Paris Peace Treaty.
In 1948 he published an article in L'Europeo, showing the misery and hunger of the people of Africo
Africo
Africo is a comune in the province of Reggio Calabria, in the Southern Italian region of Calabria at 74 km from Reggio Calabria.Africo consists of two main centers. The first, Africo Vecchio , is located some 15 km in the mainland at the feet of the Aspromonte. The old town was destroyed...
, in the Aspromonte
Aspromonte
Aspromonte is a mountain massif in the province of Reggio Calabria . The name means "rough mountains", so named by the farmers who found its steep terrain and rocky soil difficult to cultivate. It overlooks the Strait of Messina, being limited by the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas and by the Pietrace...
mountains, in Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
. The article, entitled "Africo, symbol of disparity", and the series of documentary photographs by Tino Petrelli
Tino Petrelli
Valentino Petrelli , better known as Tino, was an Italian photographer, well known for his documentary photography....
produced an outrage from national public opinion which, at the time, was rediscovering the dramatic situation of the "southern question".
In July 1950, he wrote an article about the mysterious death of the Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
bandit Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano was a Sicilian peasant. It has been suggested that the subjugated social status of his class led him to become a bandit and separatist. He was mythologised during his life and after his death...
, shot and killed in Castelvetrano
Castelvetrano
Castelvetrano is a town and comune in the province of Trapani, Sicily, Italy. The archeological site of Selinunte is located within the territory of the comune. It was the birthplace of Giovanni Gentile, the key philosopher of the Fascist movement in Italy.The town is predominantly a farming town,...
. According to the police, Giuliano died resisting arrest. However, Besozzi soon exposed the official version as fiction. The headline of the article read: "The only thing certain is that he is dead." The article established his name and is often mentioned as one of the examples of investigative journalism in Italy.
In the 1950s he returned to Africa as a special correspondent for L'Europeo and Gente
Gente (magazine)
Gente is a popular and long-running Italian celebrity gossip magazine. It is published by Hachette Filipacchi Médias....
. His articles were later published in the book Il sogno del settimo viaggio (The dream of the seventh journey).
Lonesome, victim of a writer’s block, he committed suicide with a homemade bomb on November 18, 1964, 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...
.