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

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

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

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'' 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 his political involvement. He worked as a blue-collar worker at the

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

factory in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) 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 from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

and the

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

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 , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

during the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

between 1993 and 1999. Erri De Luca is

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...

in several languages, including

Ancient Hebrew Ancient Hebrew (ISO 639-3 code ) is a blanket term for pre-modern varieties of the Hebrew language: * Paleo-Hebrew (such as the Siloam inscription), a variant of the Phoenician alphabet * Biblical Hebrew (including the use of Tiberian vocalization ...

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

and

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

. He has translated books of the Old Testament from Old Hebrew and written commentaries on the Sacred Texts as a "non-believer". De Luca embarked on an independent study of Ancient Hebrew in 1983, driven by a desire to delve into the original language of the Bible. This endeavor allowed him to engage deeply with the texts, leading to personal translations of several biblical books into Italian, including Exodus, Jonah, Ecclesiastes, and Ruth. His approach to these translations is characterized by focusing on the literary and historical aspects rather than theological interpretations. He has published over 100 books and numerous short stories and poem collections. His work has been 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 and produced by OH!PEN. The short was on the shortlist for the 2013 Academy Awards and won 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. OH!PEN produced both documentaries. In 2018, he co-produced the movie "Happy Times", directed by Michael Mayer. In 2024, he wrote and interpreted the short movie "The Experimental Age," which was produced by Soul Film Production and OH!PEN. “What does this age resemble?” De Luca wonders. “It resembles climbing up a mountain forest. In the dense conifers, little light enters; I only see what is close around me, but higher up, they thin out, clearings open, there is more light. In this age, at the top of the forest, I see far, glimpses of the future, not mine, the one without me." A lot of his writing has been translated into theater plays. De Luca is a passionate mountain climber. A reclusive character, he currently lives in the countryside of Rome. In 2011, he created the Fondazione Erri De Luca with Paola Porrini Bisson. The Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to cultural and social initiatives. Inspired by Erri De Luca's literary and humanitarian vision, it promotes literature, human rights, and solidarity through publications, events, and community engagement. De Luca maintains a daily practice of reading passages from the Hebrew Bible each morning. Despite his non-religious stance, he finds personal and intellectual enrichment in this practice.

Literature

Although he has 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 The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

into Italian, including

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

Jonah Jonah the son of Amittai or Jonas ( , ) is a Jewish prophet from Gath-hepher in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around the 8th century BCE according to the Hebrew Bible. He is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, one of the minor proph ...

Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes ( ) is one of the Ketuvim ('Writings') of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly used in English is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ...

, 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, Ark ...

, and explored various aspects of

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, 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. He was a jury member at the

Cannes Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around t ...

in 2003. In 2013, he received the

European Prize for Literature European Prize for Literature (Prix Européen de Littérature) is a European-wide literary award sponsored by the city of Strasbourg with support from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (France).European Book Prize The European Book Prize () 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 citizens' better understanding of t ...

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

La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...

'',

Il Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

Il Mattino ''Il Mattino'' (English: "The Morning") is an 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 Matilde Serao. Since 1999, the ...

'', ''

Avvenire (English: "Future") is a daily newspaper which is affiliated with the Catholic Church and is based in Milan, Italy. History and profile was founded in 1968 in Milan through the merger of two Catholic newspapers: of Bologna and of Milan. The ...

''), 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 ''Fahrenheit 451'' is a 1953 Dystopian fiction, dystopian novel by American writer Ray Bradbury. It presents a future American society where books have been outlawed and "firemen" Book burning, burn any that are found. The novel follows in the ...

, 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 non-fiction, 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, poet ...

) * ''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 Einaudi is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Luigi Einaudi (1874–1961), Italian politician * Mario Einaudi (1904–1994), Italian political scientist, son of Luigi * Giulio Einaudi (1912–1999), Italian publisher, s ...

, 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 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 19 ...

, 2004 * ''Precipitazioni'', Dante & Descartes, 2004 * ''Chisciottimista'', Dante & Descartes, 2005 * ''In nome della madre'', Feltrinelli, 2006 * ''Sulla traccia di Nives'',

, 2006 * ''Napolide", Dante & Descartes, 2006 * ''Sottosopra'' (with Gennaro Matino),

, 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),

, 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 * ''Cercatori d'acqua'', Casa Editrice Giuntina 2023 * ''A Schiovere'', Feltrinelli 2023 * ''Discorso per un amico'', Feltrinelli 2024 * ''L'età sperimentale'', Feltrinelli 2024

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),

, 2009

References

External links

Italian writer faces jail over call for sabotage of high-speed rail line

Sabotaging Free Speech in Italy

Erri De Luca va in California: 'Tra i vicoli di Napoli e l'America'

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
RepIdee 2019, dialogo 'La scrittura è un impegno' con Erri De Luca: la clip

Per capire un padre devi abbandonarlo (e poi amare il suo puzzo d’aringa)

An Italian Moses and Mountaineer

‘The Sole True Power’: A Few Questions for Erri De Luca

Ischia: I Pesci non chiudono gli occhi di Erri De Luca diventa un Docu film. Terminate le prime riprese

Fondazione Erri De Luca

Ines de la Fressange et Erri De Luca signent « L’Età sperimentale », un ouvrage sur l’art de (bien) vieillir - Elle

L'età sperimentale
{{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