Famous Italian Essayists

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 1 
Umberto Eco
(Medievalist, Philosopher and Author of 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Foucault's Pendulum')
Umberto Eco
4
Birthdate: January 5, 1932
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Alessandria, Italy
Died: February 19, 2016

Italian novelist Umberto Eco is best remembered for his novels The Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum. He also taught at the University of Bologna and had released quite a few children’s books and translations. He was also known for his work on semiotics and medieval studies.

 2 
Roberto Saviano
(Journalist and Author Known for His Investigative Reporting on Organized Crimes and the Italian Mafia)
Roberto Saviano
3
Birthdate: September 22, 1979
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Naples, Italy

Roberto Saviano is an Italian essayist, writer, and screenwriter. Since 2006, Saviano has been living under police protection after receiving death threats from an Italian criminal organization, which was upset with Saviano's works that expose the functionality of organized crime in Italy. Over the years, Roberto Saviano has also contributed to prominent Italian and international newspapers.

 3 
Cesare Pavese
(A Very Influential Italian Novelist, Poet and Short story writer)
Cesare Pavese
3
Birthdate: September 9, 1908
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Santo Stefano Belbo, Italy
Died: August 27, 1950

Italian author Cesare Pavese is remembered for his themes of gloom and loneliness and for his protagonists who were often loners. His prolonged fight with fascists and the failure of his affair with actor Constance Dowling led him to commit suicide by consuming sleeping pills in a Turin hotel.

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 4 
Natalia Ginzburg
(Auhtor Known for His Works 'Family Sayings' and 'The Advertisement')
Natalia Ginzburg
3
Birthdate: July 14, 1916
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Palermo, Italy
Died: October 7, 1991

Natalia Ginzburg was an Italian author who dealt with sensitive subjects like politics and family relationships during the Second World War. Ginzburg's works were often translated into English for readers in the USA and the UK. Over the course of her illustrious career, Natalia Ginzburg won several prestigious awards, such as the Bagutta Prize and Strega Prize.

 5 
Altiero Spinelli
(Politician)
Altiero Spinelli
3
Birthdate: August 31, 1907
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: May 23, 1986

Known as one of the EU’s founding fathers, Italian politician Altiero Spinelli was a communist who had spent 16 years in confinement for opposing fascist powers. While in prison, he co-wrote the Ventotene Manifesto. He later represented Central Italy in the European Parliament and was part of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

 6 
Alessandro Baricco
(Italian Novelist, Essayist and Short Story Writer)
Alessandro Baricco
3
Birthdate: January 25, 1958
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Turin, Italy

Alessandro Baricco is an Italian writer and director. He is also an occasional performer. He is considered one of Italy's most versatile contemporary writers. He studied philosophy and piano and has worked as a music critic. He is also a playwright and essayist. He is a co-founder of the Holden School of Contemporary Humanities. 

 7 
Giuseppe Ungaretti
(Italian Modernist Poet, Academic & Author)
Giuseppe Ungaretti
3
Birthdate: February 8, 1888
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt
Died: June 2, 1970

Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian poet, essayist, journalist, academic, and critic. One of the most important contributors to Italian literature during the 20th century, Ungaretti was honored with the first Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1970. He is credited with popularizing hermetic poetry, a form of difficult and obscure poetry.

 8 
Renata Adler
(American Author, Journalist, and Film Critic )
Renata Adler
3
Birthdate: October 19, 1938
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Milan, Italy

Renata Adler is an author, journalist, and film critic who has been a staff writer-reporter for The New Yorker. She studied comparative literature at Harvard University and later received a J.D. from Yale Law School. Despite not being much knowledgeable about films, she became a film critic for The New York Times. She has also written many books. 

 9 
Pietro Bembo
(Former Renaissance cardinal who wrote one of the earliest Italian grammars and assisted in establishing the Italian literary language)
Pietro Bembo
3
Birthdate: May 20, 1470
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: January 18, 1547

Pietro Bembo was an Italian scholar, poet, and literary theorist. He was also a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and a member of the Knights Hospitaller, a Catholic military order. He played a key role in the development of the Tuscan dialect as a literary language. As a priest, he promoted the Christian perfection of Renaissance humanism. 

 10 
Giovanni Papini
(Journalist)
Giovanni Papini
2
Birthdate: January 9, 1881
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: July 8, 1956
 11 
Mauro Biglino
2
Birthdate: September 13, 1950
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Turin, Italy
 12 
Valerio Massimo Manfredi
2
Birthdate: March 8, 1943
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Castelfranco Emilia, Italy

Valerio Massimo Manfredi is an Italian historian, essayist, writer, archaeologist, and journalist. He earned a degree in classical arts at the University of Bologna and became an archaeologist. He later pursued an academic career and published many essays and articles. He has held conferences and seminars in many reputed universities. He is also the author of several best-selling novels. 

 13 
Giorgio Bassani
(Novelist)
Giorgio Bassani
2
Birthdate: March 4, 1916
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
Died: April 13, 2000
 14 
Fausto Cercignani
2
Birthdate: March 21, 1941
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Cagliari, Italy
 15 
Alessandro Barbero
2
Birthdate: April 30, 1959
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Turin, Italy

Alessandro Barbero is an Italian historian, essayist, and novelist. He studied literature and medieval history at the University of Turin. He is the author of numerous works on history, including The Battle, an account of the Battle of Waterloo. He is also a TV and radio commentator and organizer on the Italian cultural scene. He received the 1996 Strega Prize. 

 16 
Claudio Magris
2
Birthdate: April 10, 1939
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Trieste, Italy
 17 
Francesco Algarotti
2
Birthdate: December 11, 1712
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Venice, Italy
Died: May 3, 1764
 18 
Carlo Emilio Gadda
2
Birthdate: November 14, 1893
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: May 21, 1973
Massimo Bontempelli
1
Birthdate: May 12, 1878
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Como, Italy
Died: July 21, 1960
 20 
Luigi Capuana
1
Birthdate: May 28, 1839
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mineo, Italy
Died: November 29, 1915
 21 
Edoardo Sanguineti
1
Birthdate: December 9, 1930
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Genoa, Italy
Died: May 18, 2010
 22 
Anna Maria Ortese
1
Birthdate: June 13, 1914
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: March 9, 1998
 23 
Giorgio Manganelli
(Journalist)
Giorgio Manganelli
1
Birthdate: November 15, 1922
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Milan, Italy
Died: May 28, 1990
 24 
Vincenzo Cuoco
(Historian)
Vincenzo Cuoco
1
Birthdate: October 1, 1770
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Molise, Italy
Died: December 14, 1823
 25 
Riccardo Bacchelli
1
Birthdate: April 19, 1891
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
Died: October 8, 1985
 26 
Sebastiano Timpanaro
0
Birthdate: September 5, 1923
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Parma, Italy
Died: November 26, 2000
 27 
Carlo Cassola
(Novelist)
Carlo Cassola
1
Birthdate: March 17, 1917
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Rome, Italy
Died: January 29, 1987
 28 
George Colman the Elder
0
Birthdate: 1732
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Florence, Italy
Died: August 14, 1794