Tommaso Pincio
Encyclopedia
Tommaso Pincio is the pseudonym of Marco Colapietro, an Italian
author of five novels, including Love-shaped story, the only one translated in English so far.
sometime in the mid 1960’s (an interview published in March 2008 describes him as a "forty-year-old Roman novelist") and graduated in Visual Arts
. Apparently, he wanted to become a painter but dropped that ambition quite soon. During the 1980’s he was an assistant of various artists and while also working as a cartoonist. In 1991, he moved to New York
where he lived for some years. Going back to Italy, he became the director of a very well known and respected contemporary art gallery. He likely started to think about writing novels during his stay in the United States
, getting in touch with the works of Thomas Pynchon
, Don DeLillo
, and Philip K. Dick
who influenced him very strongly. His first novel, M., was published in 1999.
At present, Tommaso Pincio is based in Rome and Bangkok
. He contributes for the Italian edition of Rolling Stone
and several leading newspapers including La Repubblica
.
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...
author of five novels, including Love-shaped story, the only one translated in English so far.
Pseudonym
"Tommaso Pincio" is obviously an Italian rendering of Thomas Pynchon's name but this is not the sole reference for the pseudonym. "Pincio" is a hill in the center of Rome whose name comes from one of the families that occupied it in the 4th century AD, the Pincii. He claimed that he chose "Tommaso Pincio" as pseudonym just because it comes from his fiction (Tommaso Pincio is a minor character of his first novel); also, he claimed that the name "evokes a place (...). I stole its name because I love the sound of it".Biography
Even if he is not as extremely reclusive as his American namesake, very few things are known about Tommaso Pincio as a person. He was born in RomeRome
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...
sometime in the mid 1960’s (an interview published in March 2008 describes him as a "forty-year-old Roman novelist") and graduated in Visual Arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
. Apparently, he wanted to become a painter but dropped that ambition quite soon. During the 1980’s he was an assistant of various artists and while also working as a cartoonist. In 1991, he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he lived for some years. Going back to Italy, he became the director of a very well known and respected contemporary art gallery. He likely started to think about writing novels during his stay in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, getting in touch with the works of Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
, Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo
Don DeLillo is an American author, playwright, and occasional essayist whose work paints a detailed portrait of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
, and Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick
Philip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
who influenced him very strongly. His first novel, M., was published in 1999.
At present, Tommaso Pincio is based in Rome and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. He contributes for the Italian edition of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and several leading newspapers including 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:...
.