Giovanni Papini (9 January 18818 July 1956) was an Italian journalist, essayist, novelist, short story writer, poet, literary critic, and

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. A controversial literary figure of the early and mid-twentieth century, he was the earliest and most enthusiastic representative and promoter of Italian

pragmatism Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that views language and thought as tools for prediction, problem solving, and action, rather than describing, representing, or mirroring reality. Pragmatists contend that most philosophical topics� ...

. Papini was admired for his writing style and engaged in heated

polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

s. Involved with

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

movements such as

futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...

and post-decadentism, he moved from one political and philosophical position to another, always dissatisfied and uneasy: he converted from

anti-clericalism Anti-clericalism is opposition to clergy, religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secul ...

and

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, and went from convinced interventionism – before 1915 – to an aversion to war. In the 1930s, after moving from

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...

conservatism Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...

, he finally became a

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

, while maintaining an aversion to

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

. As one of the founders of the journals '' Leonardo'' (1903) and '' Lacerba'' (1913), he conceived literature as "action" and gave his writings an oratory and irreverent tone. Though self-educated, he was an influential iconoclastic editor and writer, with a leading role in Italian futurism and the early literary movements of youth. Working in Florence, he actively participated in foreign literary philosophical and political movements such as the French

intuitionism In the philosophy of mathematics, intuitionism, or neointuitionism (opposed to preintuitionism), is an approach where mathematics is considered to be purely the result of the constructive mental activity of humans rather than the discovery of fu ...

of Bergson and the

Anglo-America Anglo-America most often refers to a region in the Americas in which English is the main language and British culture and the British Empire have had significant historical, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural impact."Anglo-America", vol. 1, Mic ...

of Peirce and James. Promoting the development of Italian culture and life with an individualistic and dreamy conception of life and art, he acted as a spokesman for

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

religious beliefs. Papini's literary success began with '' Il crepuscolo dei filosofi'' ("The Twilight of the Philosophers"), published in 1906, and his 1913 publication of his autobiographical novel '' Un uomo finito'' ("A finished man"). Due to his ideological choices, Papini's work was almost forgotten after his death, although it was later re-evaluated and appreciated again: in 1975, the Argentine writer

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...

called him an "undeservedly forgotten" author.

Early life

Born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

as the son of a modest furniture retailer (and former member of

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

's Redshirts) from Borgo degli Albizi, Papini was baptized in secret by his mother to avoid the aggressive anti-clericalism of his father. Almost entirely self-educated, he never received an official university degree, and his highest level of education was a teaching certificate. Papini had a rustic, lonesome childhood. He felt a strong aversion to all beliefs, to all churches, as well as to any form of servitude (which he saw as connected to

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

); he became enchanted with the idea of writing an

encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

wherein all cultures would be summarized. Trained at the ''Istituto di Studi Superiori'' (1900–2), he taught for a year in the Anglo-Italian school and then was a librarian at the Museum of Anthropology from 1902 to 1904. The literary life attracted Papini, who in 1903 founded the magazine ''Il Leonardo'', to which he contributed articles under the pseudonym of "Gian Falco." His collaborators included Giuseppe Prezzolini, Borgese, Vailati, Costetti and Calderoni. Through Leonardo's Papini and his contributors introduced in Italy important thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Peirce, Nietzsche, Santayana and Poincaré. He would later join the staff of ''Il Regno'', a nationalist publication directed by Enrico Corradini, who formed the ''Associazione Nazionalistica Italiana'', to support his country colonial expansionism. Papini met

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...

and

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; ; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was influential in the traditions of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy, especially during the first half of the 20th century until the S ...

, who greatly influenced his early works. He started publishing short stories and essays: in 1906, "''Il Tragico Quotidiano''" ("Everyday Tragic"), in 1907 "''Il Pilota Cieco''" ("The Blind Pilot") and '' Il crepuscolo dei filosofi'' ("The Twilight of the Philosophers"). The latter constituted a

with established and diverse intellectual figures, such as

Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works ...

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and t ...

Auguste Comte Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte (; ; 19 January 1798 – 5 September 1857) was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism. He is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the ...

Herbert Spencer Herbert Spencer (27 April 1820 – 8 December 1903) was an English polymath active as a philosopher, psychologist, biologist, sociologist, and anthropologist. Spencer originated the expression "survival of the fittest", which he coined in '' ...

Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the Phenomenon, phenomenal world as ...

, and

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

. Papini proclaimed the death of philosophy and the demolition of thinking itself. He briefly flirted with

Futurism Futurism ( ) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, and objects such as the ...

and other violent and liberating forms of

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

In 1907 Papini married Giacinta Giovagnoli; the couple had two daughters.

Before and during World War I

After leaving ''Il Leonardo'' in 1907, Giovanni Papini founded several other magazines. First, he published ''La Voce'' in 1908, then ''L'Anima'' together with Giovanni Amendola and Prezzolini. In 1913 (right before Italy's entry into

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

) he started ''Lacerba'' (1913–15). For three years Papini was a correspondent for the ''Mercure de France'' and later literary critic for ''La Nazione''. About 1918 he created yet another review, ''La Vraie Italie'', with Ardengo Soffici. Other books came from his pen. His ''Parole e Sangue'' ("Words and Blood") showed his fundamental atheism. Furthermore, Papini sought to create a scandal by speculating that

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and

John the Apostle John the Apostle (; ; ), also known as Saint John the Beloved and, in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Saint John the Theologian, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he ...

had a homosexual relationship. In

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

he published his best-known work, the

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel, also known as an autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The ...

'' Un Uomo Finito'' (''A Man — Finished'' in the United Kingdom and ''The Failure'' in the United States). In his 1915 collection of poetic prose ''Cento Pagine di Poesia'' (followed by ''Buffonate'', ''Maschilità'', and ''Stroncature''), Papini placed himself face-to-face with

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

, but also contemporaries such as

Benedetto Croce Benedetto Croce, ( , ; 25 February 1866 – 20 November 1952) was an Italian idealist philosopher, historian, and politician who wrote on numerous topics, including philosophy, history, historiography, and aesthetics. A Cultural liberalism, poli ...

and

Giovanni Gentile Giovanni Gentile ( , ; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian pedagogue, philosopher, and politician. He, alongside Benedetto Croce, was one of the major exponents of Italian idealism in Italian philosophy, and also devised his own sys ...

, and less prominent disciples of Gabriele D'Annunzio. A critic wrote of him:

Giovanni Papini ..is one of the finest minds in the Italy of today. He is an excellent representative of modernity's restless search for truth, and his work exhibits a refreshing independence founded, not like so much so-called independence, upon ignorance of the past, but upon a study and understanding of it.

He published verse in 1917, grouped under the title ''Opera Prima''. At first Papini strongly favoured Italian intervention into

. The war, however, shocked him into a sense of guilt which contributed to his conversion to

, announced in 1919. His '' Storia di Cristo'' ("The Story of Christ"), publishd in 1921, was translated into twenty-three languages and became an international

bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

. After further verse works, he published the

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

'' Gog'' ( 1931) and the essay ''Dante Vivo'' ("Living Dante", or "If Dante Were Alive";

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

World War II and collaborations with Fascism

He became a teacher at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

in 1935 when the Fascist authorities confirmed Papini's "''impeccable reputation''" through the appointment. In 1937, Papini published the only volume of his ''History of Italian Literature'', which he dedicated to

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

: "''to Il Duce, friend of poetry and of the poets''", being awarded top positions in

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

, especially in the study of

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

. In 1940 Papini's ''Storia della Letteratura Italiana'' was published in Nazi Germany with the title ''Eternal Italy: The Great in its Empire of Letters'' (in German: ''Ewiges Italien – Die Großen im Reich seiner Dichtung''). Papini was the vice president of the ''Europäische Schriftstellervereinigung'' (i.e. ''European Writers' League''), which was founded by Joseph Goebbels in 1941/42. When the Fascist regime crumbled in 1943, Papini entered a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

in La Verna, under the name "Fra' Bonaventura".

Final years

Largely discredited at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Papini was defended by the Catholic political right. His work concentrated on different subjects, including a biography of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

, while he continued to publish dark and tragic essays. He collaborated with '' Corriere della Sera'', contributing articles that were published as a volume after his death. Papini had been suffering from progressive paralysis (due by motor neuron disease) and was blind during the last years of his life. He died at the age of 75. According to art historian Richard Dorment,

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

's regime and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

used Papini's series of imaginary interviews in the 1951 novel '' Il libro nero'' as propaganda against

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

, to dramatically undercut his pro-Communist image. In 1962, the artist asked his biographer Pierre Daix, to expose the pretend interview, which he did in '' Les Lettres Françaises''. He was admired by

Bruno de Finetti Bruno de Finetti (13 June 1906 – 20 July 1985) was an Italian probabilist statistician and actuary, noted for the "operational subjective" conception of probability. The classic exposition of his distinctive theory is the 1937 , which discuss ...

, founder of a subjective theory of probability, and

, who remarked that Papini had been "unjustly forgotten" and included some of his stories in the Library of Babel.

In popular culture

*Papini appears as a character in several poems of the period written by Mina Loy, who had an affair with him. * Wallace Stevens wrote a poem called "Reply to Papini." *Papini is repeatedly mentioned in speeches made by Colombian writer Gabriel García Marquez.

Publications

* ''La Teoria Psicologica della Previsione'' (1902). * ''Sentire Senza Agire e Agire Senza Sentire'' (1905). * '' Il crepuscolo dei filosofi'' (1906). * '' Lo specchio che fugge'' (1906) * ''Il Tragico Quotidiano'' (1906). * ''La Coltura Italiana'' (with Giuseppe Prezzolini, 1906). * ''Il Pilota Cieco'' (1907). * ''Le Memorie d'Iddio'' (1911). * ''L'Altra Metà'' (1911). * ''La Vita di Nessuno'' (1912). * ''Parole e Sangue'' (1912). * '' Un Uomo Finito'' (1913). * ''Ventiquattro Cervelli'' (1913). * ''Sul Pragmatismo: Saggi e Ricerche, 1903–1911'' (1913). * ''Almanacco Purgativo 1914'' (with Ardengo Soffici ''et al''., 1913). * ''Buffonate'' (1914). * ''Vecchio e Nuovo Nazionalismo'' (with Giuseppe Prezzolini, 1914). * ''Cento Pagine di Poesia'' (1915). * ''Maschilità'' (1915). * ''La Paga del Sabato'' (1915). * ''Stroncature'' (1916). * ''Opera Prima'' (1917). * ''Polemiche Religiose'' (1917). * ''Testimonianze'' (1918). * ''L'Uomo Carducci'' (1918). * ''L'Europa Occidentale Contro la Mittel-Europa'' (1918). * ''Chiudiamo le Scuole'' (1918). * ''Giorni di Festa'' (1918). * ''L'Esperienza Futurista'' (1919). * ''Poeti d'Oggi'' (with Pietro Pancrazi, 1920). * '' Storia di Cristo'' (1921). * ''Antologia della Poesia Religiosa Italiana'' (1923). * ''Dizionario dell'Omo Salvatico'' (with Domenico Giuliotti, 1923). * ''L'Anno Santo e le Quattro Paci'' (1925). * ''Pane e Vino'' (1926). * ''Gli Operai della Vigna'' (1929). * ''Sant'Agostino'' (1931). * '' Gog'' (1931). * ''La Scala di Giacobbe'' (1932). * ''Firenze'' (1932). * ''Il Sacco dell'Orco'' (1933). * ''Dante Vivo'' (1933). * ''Ardengo Soffici'' (1933). * ''La Pietra Infernale'' (1934). * ''Grandezze di Carducci'' (1935). * ''I Testimoni della Passione'' (1937). * ''Storia della Letteratura Italiana'' (1937). * ''Italia Mia'' (1939). * ''Figure Umane'' (1940). * ''Medardo Rosso'' (1940). * ''La Corona d'Argento'' (1941). * ''Mostra Personale'' (1941). * ''Prose di Cattolici Italiani d'Ogni Secolo'' (with Giuseppe De Luca, 1941). * ''L'Imitazione del Padre. Saggi sul Rinascimento'' (1942). * ''Racconti di Gioventù'' (1943). * ''Cielo e Terra'' (1943). * ''Foglie della Foresta'' (1946). * ''Lettere agli Uomini di Papa Celestino VI'' (1946). * ''Primo Conti'' (1947). * ''Santi e Poeti'' (1948). * ''Passato Remoto'' (1948). * ''Vita di Michelangiolo'' (1949). * ''Le Pazzie del Poeta'' (1950). * ''Firenze Fiore del Mondo'' (with Ardengo Soffici, Piero Bargellini and Spadolini, 1950). * '' Il libro nero'' (1951). * '' Il Diavolo'' (1953). * ''Il Bel Viaggio'' (with Enzo Palmeri, 1954). * ''Concerto Fantastico'' (1954). * ''Strane Storie'' (1954). * ''La Spia del Mondo'' (1955). * ''La Loggia dei Busti'' (1955). * ''Le Felicità dell'Infelice'' (1956). Posthumous * ''L'Aurora della Letteratura Italiana: Da Jacopone da Todi a Franco Sacchetti'' (1956). * ''Il Muro dei Gelsomini: Ricordi di Fanciullezza'' (1957). * ''Giudizio Universale'' (1957). * ''La Seconda Nascita'' (1958). * ''Dichiarazione al Tipografo'' (1958). * ''Città Felicità'' (1960). * ''Diario'' (1962). * ''Schegge'' (Articles published in ''Corriere della Sera'', 1971). * ''Rapporto sugli Uomini'' (1978).

Collected works

* ''Tutte le Opere di Giovanni Papini'', 11 vols. Milan: Mondadori (1958–66).

Works in English translation

''Four and Twenty Minds.''
New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1922.
''The Story of Christ.''
London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1923 [Rep. a
''Life of Christ.''
New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1923]. * ''The Failure''. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1924. * ''A Man — Finished''. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1924. * ''The Memoirs of God.'' Boston: The Ball Publishing Co., 1926. * ''A Hymn to Intelligence.'' Pittsburgh: The Laboratory Press, 1928.
''A Prayer for Fools, Particularly Those we See in Art Galleries, Drawing-rooms and Theatres.''
Pittsburgh: The Laboratory Press, 1929. * ''Laborers in the Vineyard.'' London: Sheed & Ward, 1930. * ''Life and Myself'', translated by Dorothy Emmrich. New York: Brentano's, 1930. * ''Saint Augustine''. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1930. * ''Gog,'' translated by Mary Prichard Agnetti. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1931.
''Dante Vivo.''
New York: The Macmillan Company, 1935.
''The Letters of Pope Celestine VI to All Mankind.''
New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1948. * ''Florence: Flower of the World''. Firenze: L'Arco, 1952 Ardengo Soffici and Piero Bargellini">ith Ardengo Soffici and Piero Bargellini * ''Michelangelo, his Life and his Era''. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1952. * ''The Devil; Notes for Future Diabology.'' New York: E.P. Dutton, 1954 ondon: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1955 * ''Nietzsche: An Essay.'' Mount Pleasant, Mich.: Enigma Press, 1966. * "The Circle is Closing." In: Lawrence Rainey (ed.), ''Futurism: An Anthology,'' Yale University Press, 2009.

Selected articles

"Philosophy in Italy,"
''The Monist'' 8 (4), July 1903, pp. 553–585.
"What Pragmatism is Like,"
''Popular Science Monthly,'' Vol. LXXI, October 1907, pp. 351–358.
"The Historical Play,"
''The Little Review'' 6 (2), pp. 49–51.
"Ignoto,"
''The New Age'' 26 (6), 1919, p. 95.
"Buddha,"
''The New Age'' 26 (13), 1920, pp. 200–201.
"Rudolph Eucken"
''The Open Court,'' 38 (5), May 1924, pp. 257–261.

Short stories

"The Debt of a Day,"
''The International'' 9 (4), 1915, pp. 105–107.
"The Substitute Suicide,"
''The International'' 10 (5), 1916, pp. 148–149.
"Four-Hundred and Fifty-Three Love Letters,"
''The Stratford Journal'' 3 (1), 1918, pp. 9–12.
"The Beggar of Souls"
''The Stratford Journal'' 4, 1919, p. 59–64.
"Life: The Vanishing Mirror,"
''Vanity Fair'' 13 (6), 1920, p. 53.
"Don Juan's Lament,"
''Vanity Fair'' 13 (10), 1920, p. 43.
"An Adventure in Introspection,"
''Vanity Fair'' 13 (10), 1920, p. 65.
"Having to do with Love – and Memory,"
''Vanity Fair'' 14 (2), 1920, p. 69.
"For no Reason,"
''Vanity Fair'' 14 (3), 1920, pp. 71, 116.
"The Prophetic Portrait,"
''Vanity Fair'' 14 (4), 1920, p. 73.
"The Man who Lost Himself,"
''Vanity Fair'' 14 (5), 1920, p. 35.
"Hope,"
''Vanity Fair'' 14 (6), 1920, p. 57.
"The Magnanimous Suicide,"
''Vanity Fair'' 15 (1), 1920, p. 73.
"The Lost Day,"
''Vanity Fair'' 15 (3), 1920, pp. 79, 106.Rep. in ''Italian Short Stories from the 13th to the 20th Centuries''. With an introduction by Decio Pettoello. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1932; ''The Copeland Translations; Mainly in Prose from French, German, Italian and Russian''. Chosen and arranged with an introduction. New York-London: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934.
"Two Faces in the Well,"
''Vanity Fair'' 15 (4), 1920, p. 41.
"Two Interviews with the Devil,"
''Vanity Fair'' 15 (5), 1921, pp. 59, 94.
"The Bartered Souls,"
''Vanity Fair'' 15 (6), 1921, p. 57.
"The Man Who Could Not be Emperor,"
''Vanity Fair'' 16 (1), 1921, p. 41.
"A Man Among Men — No More,"
''Vanity Fair'' 16 (2), 1921, p.
"His Own Jailer,"
''The Living Age,'' December 9, 1922. * "Pallas and the Centaur," ''Italian Literary Digest'' 1 (1), April 1947.

References

Notes Bibliography * Arnone, Vincenzo (2005). ''Papini, un Uomo Infinito''. Padova: Messaggero. * Berghaus, Günter (2000). ''International Futurism in Arts and Literature''. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. * Castaldini, Alberto (2006). ''Giovanni Papini: la Reazione alla Modernità''. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki. * Castelli, Eugenio & Julio Chiappini (1971). ''Diez Ensayos sobre Giovanni Papini''. Santa Fe, Argentina: Ediciones Colmegna. * Colella, E. Paul (2005). "Reflex Action and the Pragmatism of Giovanni Papini," ''The Journal of Speculative Philosophy'' 19 (3), pp. 187–215. * De Paulis-Dalembert, Maria Pia (2007). ''Giovanni Papini: Culture et Identité''. Toulouse: Presses de l'Université du Mirail. * Di Biase, Carmine (1999). ''Giovanni Papini. L'Anima Intera''. Napoli: Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane. * Di Giovanni, Antonino (2009). ''Giovanni Papini. Dalla Filosofia Dilettante al Diletto della Filosofia''. Roma-Acireale: Bonanno. * Fantino, Giuseppe (1981). ''Saggio su Papini''. Milano: Italia Letteraria. * Filippis, M. de (1944). "Giovanni Papini," ''The Modern Language Journal'' 28 (4), pp. 352–364. * Fondi, Renato (1922). ''Un costruttore: Giovanni Papini''. Firenze: Vallecchi. * Frangini, Giovanni (1982). ''Papini Vivo''. Palermo: Thule. * Fuente, Jaime de la (1970). ''Papini: Una Vida en Busca de la Verdad''. Madrid: E.P.E.S.A. * Gironella, José María (1958). "The Death and Judgment of Giovanni Papini," ''Modern Age'' 2 (3), pp. 240–250. * Giuliano, William P. (1946). "Spiritual Evolution of Giovanni Papini," ''Italica'' 23 (4), pp. 304–311. * Golino, Carlo L. (1955). "Giovanni Papini and American Pragmatism," ''Italica'' 32 (1), pp. 38–48. * Horia, Vintilă (1963). ''Giovanni Papini''. Paris: Wesmael-Charlier. * Invitto, Giovanni (1984). ''Un Contrasto Novecentesco: Giovanni Papini e la Filosofia''. Lecce: Ed. Milella. * * Phelps, Ruth Shepard (1923). "The Poet in Papini," ''The North American Review'', Vol. CCXVII, No. 811, pp. 834–843. * Phillips, Charles (1921)
"A Prophet in Italy,"
''Catholic World'', Vol. CIV, pp. 210–219. * Prezzolini, Giuseppe (1922)
"Giovanni Papini,"
''Broom'' 1 (3), pp. 239–248. * Prezzolini, Giuseppe (1915)
''Discorso su Giovanni Papini''
Firenze: Libreria Della Voce. * Riccio, Peter M. (1938)
"Giovanni Papini."
In: ''Italian Authors of Today''. New York: S.F. Vanni, Inc., pp. 87–96. * Richter, Mario (2005). ''Papini e Soffici: Mezzo Secolo di Vita Italiana (1903–1956)''. Florence: Le Lettere. * Ridolfi, Roberto (1957). ''Vita di Giovanni Papini''. Milano: A. Mondadori, 1957 (Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1996). * Righi, Lorenzo (1981). ''Giovanni Papini Imperatore del Nulla: 1881–1981''. Firenze: Tip. Sbolci. * Waterfield, Lina (1921). "Giovanni Papini," ''The Living Age,'' No. 4016, pp. 788–789. * James, William (1906)
"G. Papini and the Pragmatist Movement in Italy,"
''The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods'' 3 (13), pp. 337–341. * Wilson, Lawrence A. (1961). "A Possible Original of Papini's Dottor Alberto Rego," ''Italica'' 38 (4), pp. 296–301. * Wohl, Robert (2009). ''The Generation of 1914''. Harvard University Press.

External links

* * *
**Almost There**

''L'Anima'' Magazine, May 1911
*
A website about Giovanni Papini in Italian

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papini, Giovanni 1881 births 1956 deaths 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian essayists 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Roman Catholics Christian fascists Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Neurological disease deaths in Tuscany Deaths from motor neuron disease in Italy Futurist writers Italian Franciscans Italian Futurism Italian Nationalist Association Italian Roman Catholics Italian biographers Italian male essayists Italian fascists Journalists from Florence Italian literary critics Italian magazine founders Italian male journalists Italian male poets Italian memoirists Italian male biographers Members of the Royal Academy of Italy Writers from Florence Roman Catholic conspiracy theorists Italian Roman Catholic writers 20th-century Italian journalists 20th-century memoirists Italian conspiracy theorists Academic staff of the University of Bologna Pragmatists Italian satirists Italian satirical novelists