Enrico "Erri" De Luca (born 20 May 1950,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's admini ...

) is an Italian novelist, translator and poet. He has been recognized by critic Giorgio De Rienzo of ''

Corriere della Sera The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015. First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of I ...

'' as "the writer of the decade". He is also known for his opposition to the Lyon-Turin high speed train line, and is being sued for having called for its sabotage. On 19 October 2015, De Luca was cleared of inciting criminal damage. He reacted to the not-guilty verdict declaring that "An injustice has been avoided."

Biography

Erri De Luca's original first name was Enrico ("Henry"). is an Italian version of his uncle's name, "Harry". Upon completing high school in 1968 Erri De Luca joined the radical left-wing movement . After the organization's disbanding he left political involvement. He worked as a blue-collar worker at the

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

factory in

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

and at the

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

airport. He was also a truck driver and a mason, working at job sites in Italy, France, and Africa. He rode relief convoys in

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

during the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

between 1993 and 1999. Erri De Luca is

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

in several languages including Ancient Hebrew, Swahili,

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...

and

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

. He has translated books of the Old Testament from Old Hebrew and written commentaries on the Sacred Texts, as a "non-believer". He has published more than 70 books, numerous collections of short stories and poems, translated into more than 30 languages. He appeared in a cameo role (of a mechanic) in the film , by Costanza Quadriglio. Erri De Luca's debut as a screenwriter and leading actor was in the short film (Beyond the Glass), presented at The Venice Film Festival 2011, Italy, World Premiere. "A night-time conversation between a man and his mother and a trip down memory lane through the phantoms of life. Erri De Luca opens the door to his house, transporting us into the universe of the past." Again, with "The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars" he was a screenwriter and actor, directed by Edoardo Ponti. The short was on the shortlist for the 2013 Academy Awards and won an award at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. In the same year, Erri De Luca began writing the story for the documentary film, "Trees that Walk", and in 2014 he wrote and interpreted, "A Musical Imprinting," a musical biography about his life. In 2018 he co-produced the movie "Happy Times", directed by Michael Mayer. De Luca is a passionate mountain climber. A reclusive character, he currently lives in the countryside of Rome.

Literature

Although he never stopped writing since he was 20, his first book was published in 1989, ''Non ora, non qui'' (''Not now, not here''). Many more books followed, best-sellers in Italy, France and Israel, his work being translated and published in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, USA, Brazil, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Greece, Lithuania, and more. He has himself translated several books of the Bible into Italian, including Exodus,

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th c ...

Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly use ...

, and

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, A ...

, and explored various aspects of

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

, as a non-believer. In France, he received the ''France Culture'' Prize in 1994 for ''Aceto, arcobaleno'', the ''Laure Bataillon'' Award in 2002 for ''Tre cavalli'' and, also in 2002, the Fémina Étranger for ''Montedidio'', translated in English as ''God's Mountain''. In 2010 he was given the German international literary

Petrarca-Preis Petrarca-Preis was a European literary and translation award named after the Italian Renaissance poet Francesco Petrarca or Petrarch. Founded in 1975 by German art historian and publisher Hubert Burda, it was primarily designed for contemporary ...

. He was a member of the jury at the

Cannes Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 2003. In 2013, he received the European Prize for Literature. In 2016, he received

European Book Prize The European Book Prize (french: Le Prix du Livre Européen) is a European Union literary award established in 2007. It is organized by the association Esprit d'Europe in Paris. It seeks to promote European values, and to contribute to European ...

for his novel "Le plus et le moins". In 2020 he received ''Le prix André Malraux''. Erri De Luca wrote for various newspapers (''

La Repubblica ''la Repubblica'' (; the Republic) is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and led by Eugenio Scalfari, Carlo Caracciolo and Arnold ...

'', Il Corriere della Sera ''

Il Mattino ''Il Mattino'' (meaning ''The Morning'' in English) is an Italian language, Italian daily newspaper published in Naples, Italy. History and profile ''Il Mattino'' was first published on 16 March 1892 by the journalists Edoardo Scarfoglio and Mat ...

'', '' Avvenire''), and other magazines.

Works

* ''Non ora, non qui'', Feltrinelli, 1989 * ''Una nuvola come tappeto'', Feltrinelli, 1991 * ''Aceto, Arco baleno'', Feltrinelli, 1992 * ''I colpi dei sensi'', Fahrenheit 451, Milano, 1993 * ''Prove di risposta'', Edizioni Nuova Cultura, Roma, 1994 * ''In alto a sinistra'', Feltrinelli, 1994 * ''Pianoterra'', articoli, Qiqajon, Bose, Magnano, 1995 * ''Il cronista scalzo e altri scritti'', Legatoria del Sud * ''Alzaia'', Feltrinelli, 1997 * ''Ora prima'', Qiqajon, Bose, Magnano, 1997 * ''Tu, mio'', Feltrinelli, 1998 (''Me, You'',

Other Press Other Press is an independent publisher of literary fiction and nonfiction, based in New York City. Founded in 1998 to publish academic and psychoanalytic titles, Other Press has since expanded to publish novels, short stories, nonfiction, poetr ...

) * ''Tufo'', Dante & Descartes, 1999 * ''Tre cavalli'', Feltrinelli, 1999 (''Three Horses'',

) * ''Un papavero rosso all'occhiello senza coglierne il fiore'', Interattiva, 2000 * ''Montedidio'', Feltrinelli, 2002 (''God's Mountain'', Other Press) * ''Opera sull'acqua e altre poesie'' (poetry), Einaudi, 2002 * ''Lettere da una citta' bruciata'', Dante & Descartes, 2002 * ''Nocciolo d'oliva'', EMP, 2002 * ''Il contrario di uno'', Feltrinelli, 2003 * ''Immanifestazione'', Dante & Descartes, 2003 * ''Morso di luna nuova. Racconto per voci in tre stanze'', Mondadori, 2004 * ''Precipitazioni'', Dante & Descartes, 2004 * ''Chisciottimista'', Dante & Descartes, 2005 * ''In nome della madre'', Feltrinelli, 2006 * ''Sulla traccia di Nives'',

Mondadori Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy. History The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In ...

, 2006 * ''Napolide", Dante & Descartes, 2006 * ''Sottosopra'' (with Gennaro Matino), Mondadori, 2007 * ''lettere fraterne'' (with Izet Sarajilic), Dante & Descartes, 2007 * ''L'isola è una conchiglia'', La Conchiglia, 2008 * ''Almeno cinque'' (with Gennaro Matino), Feltrinelli, 2008 * ''L'ospite incallito'' (poetry), Einaudi, 2008 * ''Il cielo in una stalla'', Infinito, 2008 * ''Tentativi di scoraggiamento (a darsi alla scrittura)'', Dante & Descartes, 2009 (''Attempts at discouragement (when taking up writing)'') * ''Penultime notizie circa Ieshu/Gesù'', Messaggero, 2009 * ''Il giorno prima della felicità'', Feltrinelli, 2009 (''The Day Before Happiness'',

) * ''Il peso della farfalla'', Feltrinelli, 2009 * ''Tu non c'eri'', Dante & Descartes, 2010 * ''Rivolte inestirpabili'', Forum Edizioni, 2010 * ''E disse'', Feltrinelli, 2011 * ''Le sante dello scandalo'', La Giuntina, 2011 * ''I pesci non chiudono gli occhi'', Feltrinelli, 2011 * ''Il Turno di Notte lo Fanno le Stelle'', Feltrinelli, 2012 ("The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars") * ''Il torto del soldato'', Feltrinelli, 2012 * ''Il Turno di Notte lo fanno le Stelle'', OH!PEN/Feltrinelli, 2012 * ''La doppia Vita dei Numeri'', Feltrinelli, 2012 * ''The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars'', Feltrinelli 2012 * ''Ti sembra il Caso?'', Feltrinelli 2013 * ''Storia di Irene'', Feltrinelli 2013 * ''The Crime of a Soldier'', Feltrinelli * ''La musica Provata'' (A Musical Imprinting), Feltrinelli 2014 * ''La parola contraria'', Feltrinelli 2015 * ''Il più e il meno'', Feltrinelli 2016 * ''La Faccia delle nuvole'', Feltrinelli 2016 * ''La Natura Esposta'', Feltrinelli 2016 * ''Diavoli Custodi'', Feltrinelli 2017 * ''Il giro dell’oca'', Feltrinelli 2018 * ''Impossibile'', Feltrinelli 2019 * ''A Grandezza Naturale'', Feltrinelli 2021 * ''Spizzichi e Bocconi'', Feltrinelli 2022

Translations by the author

* ''Esodo/Nomi'', Feltrinelli, 1994 * ''Giona/Iona'', Feltrinelli, 1995 * ''kohelet/Ecclesiaste'', Feltrinelli, 1996 * ''Il libro di Ruth'', Feltrinelli, 1999 * ''Salmo secondo ovvero Elogio del massimo timore'', in Micromega, 2000 * ''Noah Ansheldell'altro mondo'' (of Dovid Katz), translation from Yiddish, Dante & Descartes, 2002 * ''Vita di Sansone'' dal libro Giudici/Shoftim, Feltrinelli, 2002 * ''Vita di Noè/Noa'', Feltrinelli, 2004 * ''L'ospite di pietra. L'invito a morte di Don Giovanni. Piccola tragedia in versi'', Feltrinelli, 2005 * ''Canto del popolo yiddish messo a morte (of Ytshak Katzenelson), Mondadori, 2009

References

External links

Italian writer faces jail over call for sabotage of high-speed rail lineSabotaging Free Speech in Italy

Erri De Luca va in California: 'Tra i vicoli di Napoli e l'America'
* http://www.rai.it/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-74a41666-90f2-4054-a578-a7ece87ebd25.html?p=0
The Trench

THE NIGHT SHIFT BELONGS TO THE STARS
* http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/ID/2389925401/
The Crime of a Soldier

Italian Poetry 2
de Luca * https://video.repubblica.it/dossier/la-repubblica-delle-idee-2019/repidee-2019-dialogo-la-scrittura-e-un-impegno-con-erri-de-luca-la-clip/336669/337266
Per capire un padre devi abbandonarlo (e poi amare il suo puzzo d’aringa)
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Luca, Erri 20th-century Italian novelists 21st-century Italian novelists Italian translators Italian male poets Living people 1950 births Prix Femina Étranger winners Translators of the Bible into Italian Writers from Naples Italian male novelists 20th-century Italian male writers 21st-century Italian male writers