Laura Mancinelli (18 December 1933 – 7 July 2016) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

writer, germanist,

medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often v ...

and university professor. Mancinelli also wrote academic texts, children's books, essays (numerous of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

history), and historical novels.

Life

Laura Mancinelli was born in

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

in 1933, then, after a period of short stays between

Rovereto Rovereto (; "wood of sessile oaks"; locally: ''Roveredo'') is a city and ''comune'' in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River. History Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier b ...

and

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

where she spent her early childhood, in 1937 the family moved permanently to

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 ...

. After her school education and studies, she graduated from the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian language, Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public university, public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the List ...

in 1956 with a degree in

german literature German literature () comprises those literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy and to a less ...

with a focus on modern literature. In the years following her doctorate she taught without ever giving up her passion for medieval german culture. In 1969 she wrote the essay ''The Song of the Nibelungs. Problems and values''. In the 1970s she taught

germanic philology Germanic philology is the philological study of the Germanic languages, particularly from a comparative or historical perspective. The beginnings of research into the Germanic languages began in the 16th century, with the discovery of literary tex ...

at the

University of Sassari The University of Sassari ( it, Università degli Studi di Sassari, UniSS) is a university located in Sassari, Italy. It was founded in 1562 and is organized in 13 departments. The University of Sassari earned first place in the rankings for ...

and then called in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

by the Germanist , in 1976 she founded the ''Department'' of ''

History of German Language The appearance of the German language begins in the Early Middle Ages with the High German consonant shift. Old High German, Middle High German, and Early New High German span the duration of the Holy Roman Empire. The 19th and 20th centuries ...

'' at the

Ca' Foscari University of Venice Ca' Foscari University of Venice ( it, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, simply Università Ca' Foscari) is a public university in Venice, Italy. Since its foundation in 1868, it has been housed in the Venetian Gothic palace of Ca' Foscari, from ...

. On the advice of his colleague and friend,

Claudio Magris Claudio Magris (born 10 April 1939) is an Italian scholar, translator and writer. He was a senator for Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1994 to 1996. Life Magris graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied German studies, and has been a ...

, in 1972 she edited and translated into

from the original volume, the ''

Nibelungenlied The ( gmh, Der Nibelunge liet or ), translated as ''The Song of the Nibelungs'', is an epic poem written around 1200 in Middle High German. Its anonymous poet was likely from the region of Passau. The is based on an oral tradition of Germani ...

'', followed in 1978 by ' ( Gottfried von Straßburg) and in 1989 by ''

Gregorius Gregorius or ''The Good Sinner'' is a Middle High German narrative poem by Hartmann von Aue. Written around 1190 in rhyming couplets, it tells the story of a child born of the incestuous union of a brother and sister, who is brought up in a mona ...

'' and '' Poor Heinrich'' (

Hartmann von Aue Hartmann von Aue, also known as Hartmann von Ouwe, (born ''c.'' 1160–70, died ''c.'' 1210–20) was a German knight and poet. With his works including ''Erec'', ''Iwein'', '' Gregorius'', and ''Der arme Heinrich'', he introduced the Arthuria ...

). In the early 1990s, affected by

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...

, Laura Mancinelli left the Chair of german philology. Mancinelli died on 7 July 2016 in Turin as a result of her illness. The farewell ceremony took place on 11 July 2016 in the monumental cemetery of Turin; the funeral took place in

Exilles Exilles ( Occitan: ''Eissilhas''; nonstandard Occitan: ''Isiya''; Piedmontese: ''Isiles''; Latin: ''Excingomagus'' or ''Scingomagus''; Italianization under Italian Fascism: ''Esille'') is a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Ital ...

in the

Susa Valley The Susa Valley ( it, Val di Susa; pms, Valsusa; french: Val de Suse; oc, Val d'Ors) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the so ...

, where the writer had set one of her novels.

Career

Writing career

After returning to Turin as holder of the University Chair of germanic philology, in 1981 Laura Mancinelli made her debut in fiction, publishing, '' The Twelve Abbots of Challant'' (winner the same year of the

Mondello Prize The Mondello Prize (Italian: Premio Mondello or Premio letterario internazionale Mondello Città di Palermo) is an Italian literary award established in 1975. History The award was founded by a group of Palermo intellectuals and academics, and was ...

), a historical novel that the author had begun to write in 1968. After came ''Il fantasma di Mozart'' in 1986 and '' The Miracle of Saint Odilia'' in 1989. Other works were: '' Amadé'', a tale of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's journey in Turin as an adolescent; ''La casa del tempo''; ''Gli occhi dell'imperatore'', winner of the Rapallo Prize in 1994; ''Raskolnikov''; ''I tre cavalieri del Graal'' and ''Il principe scalzo''. In 1999, the theatrical performance ''Notte con Mozart'', based on the play of the same name in two acts (published in 1991), was performed at Regio in Turin. From 1994 onwards, she devoted herself entirely to writing and published more than fifteen works throughout the decade, despite hospital stays and lengthy rehabilitation. In 2001, ''La sacra rappresentazione'' (The sacred representation) (2001) came out in bookshops. It recounts the handover of the Fortress of Exilles from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

(

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

) to

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Sa ...

, which took place after a night of revelry by the French garrison in 1708. In the same year, the author was simultaneously working on an autobiographical novel that occupied her for several years and was published in 2002 under the title ''Andante con tenerezza''. In 2009 she published the novel ''Gli occhiali di Cavour'', followed by ''Due storie d'amore'' in 2011, free interpretations of the story of two famous couples,

Kriemhild Gudrun ( ; non, Guðrún) or Kriemhild ( ; gmh, Kriemhilt) is the wife of Sigurd/Siegfried and a major figure in Germanic heroic legend and literature. She is believed to have her origins in Ildico, last wife of Attila the Hun, and two qu ...

and Siegfried,

Tristan and Iseult Tristan and Iseult, also known as Tristan and Isolde and other names, is a medieval chivalric romance told in numerous variations since the 12th century. Based on a Celtic legend and possibly other sources, the tale is a tragedy about the illic ...

Bibliography

Novels

*''I dodici abati di Challant'' (1981) *''Il fantasma di Mozart'' (1986) *''Il miracolo di santa Odilia'' (1989) *'' Amadé'' (1990) *''Gli occhi dell'imperatore'' (1993) *''La casa del tempo'' (1993) *''Raskolnikov'' (1996) *''I tre cavalieri del Graal'' (1996) *''Il principe scalzo'' (1999) *''La musica dell'isola'' (2000) *''Attentato alla Sindone'' (2000) *''La sacra rappresentazione ovvero Come il forte di Exilles fu conquistato ai francesi'' (2001) *''Biglietto d'amore'' (2002) *''I colori del cuore'' (2005) *''Un misurato esercizio della cattiveria'' (2005) *''Il ragazzo dagli occhi neri'' (2007) *''Natale sotto la Mole'' (2008) *''Due storie d'amore'' (2011) *''Un peccatore innocente'' (2013)

English translations

Two of Mancinelli's books have been translated in English (as of October 2022): *''I dodici abati di Challant'' as '' The Twelve Abbots of Challant'' *''Il miracolo di santa Odilia'' as '' The Miracle of Saint Odilia''

Translation of Classics of German Literature

* ''Nibelungenlied'', Turin: Einaudi, 1972 *

Gottfried von Strassburg Gottfried von Strassburg (died c. 1210) is the author of the Middle High German courtly romance ', an adaptation of the 12th-century ''Tristan and Iseult'' legend. Gottfried's work is regarded, alongside the ''Nibelungenlied'' and Wolfram von Esc ...

, ''Tristan'', Turin: Einaudi, 1978 * Heimito von Doderer, ''I demoni. Dalla cronaca del caposezione Geyrenhoff'', Turin: Einaudi, 1979 *

, ''Gregorio'' and ''Il povero Enrico'', Turin: Einaudi, 1989 *

Konrad Bayer Konrad Bayer (17 December 1932 – October 1964) was an Austrian writer and poet. A member of the Wiener Gruppe, he combined apparently irreconcilable elements—violence, hermeticism, pessimism, ecstasy, banality—and influences (dadaism, surre ...

, ''The Head of Vitus Bering'', Alessandria: Edizioni dell'Orso, 1993

Honours

National honours

Grand Officer of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...

(26 May 2005)Sito web del Quirinale: dettaglio decorato.
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References

Sources

* *

External links

Official website

Open Library, Internet Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mancinelli, Laura 1933 births 2016 deaths 20th-century Italian novelists 21st-century Italian novelists 20th-century Italian women writers 21st-century Italian women writers Italian essayists Italian women essayists Italian medievalists Women medievalists Italian alternate history writers Postmodern writers University of Turin alumni University of Turin faculty 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists People from Udine 20th-century translators Grand Officers of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Germanists