Laura Conti (31 March 1921 – 25 May 1993) was an Italian

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

partisan, doctor, environmentalist, socialist politician, feminist, and novelist, considered one of the avant-garde figures of Italian environmentalism.

Biography

Born in Udine, after having lived in Trieste and Verona, she moved to Milan to attend the Faculty of Medicine. In January 1944 she joined the Youth Front for National Independence and Freedom of Eugenio Curiel. On 4 July she was arrested; after a brief period in San Vittore, she was interned in the

Bolzano Transit Camp Bolzano was a transit camp operated by Nazi Germany in Bolzano from 1944 to 3 May 1945 during World War II. It was one of the largest Nazi ''Lager'' on Italian soil, along with those of Fossoli, Borgo San Dalmazzo and Trieste. History After ...

. She luckily succeeded avoiding deportation to Germany. From this experience came the novel ''La condizione sperimentale''. Once free, she obtained her degree in Medicine. In Milan she also cemented her political commitment: first in the ranks of the

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892 ...

, and from 1951 in the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). ...

. She held the positions of provincial councilor from 1960 to 1970 and subsequently, until 1980, of regional councilor of Lombardy. She was secretary of the Casa della Cultura, founded and directed the Gramsci Association, and participated in the foundation of the ''Lega per l'ambiente'' (today '' Legambiente'') in which she was president of the Scientific Committee. In 1987 she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies.

Environmentalism

The environmentalism of Laura Conti had a component of strong humanity that was rooted in her experience in the Resistance. These roots were shared with another figure of the enlightened Milan, Ercole Ferrario. Conti liked to repeat: "I am not a scientist, but a scholar of ecological problems. While finding the study fascinating, I think it is also important to act and operate. For this reason I decided to do politics: it is not enough to study, we must also get busy." On 10 July 1976 the

Seveso disaster Seveso (; lmo, label= Lombard, Séves ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Monza and Brianza, in the Region of Lombardy. The economy of the town has traditionally been based on the furniture industry. Its name comes from the river o ...

occurred. From Icmesa, a factory north of Milan, a toxic cloud came out containing many kilos of

dioxin Dioxin may refer to: * 1,2-Dioxin or 1,4-Dioxin, two unsaturated heterocyclic 6-membered rings where two carbon atoms have been replaced by oxygen atoms, giving the molecular formula C4H4O2 * Dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound also known ...

, a substance then almost unknown, which falls on the town. Conti was then a regional councilor and did not spare her help and comfort to the inhabitants of Seveso. With the publications ''Visto da Seveso'' and ''Una lepre con la faccia di bambina hare with the face of a child', the popularity of Laura Conti transcended national borders. On June 24, 1982, Brussels approved the directive on the risks of accidents associated with certain industrial activities that will be called the "Seveso Directive." In 1986 she was awarded the Minerva Award for her scientific and cultural path.

Selected writings

* ''Cecilia e le streghe'' - Einaudi, Torino, 1963 * ''La condizione sperimentale'' - Mondadori, Milano, 1965 * ''Sesso ed educazione'' -

Editori Riuniti Editori Riuniti is an Italian publishing house based in Rome that publishes books and magazines on the history of socialism, socialist thought, physics and mathematics theory, and the history of Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. History ...

, Roma, 1971 * ''Le frontiere della vita'' -

Arnoldo Mondadori Editore 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 ...

, Milano, 1972 * ''Il dominio sulla materia'' -

, Milano, 1973 * ''Che cos'è l'ecologia. Capitale, lavoro e ambiente.'' - Ed. Mazzotta, Milano, 1977 * ''Visto da Seveso'' - Feltrinelli, Milano, 1977 * ''Una lepre con la faccia di bambina'' - Editori Riuniti, Roma, 1978 * ''Il tormento e lo scudo'' - Mazzotta, Milano, 1981 * ''Imparare la salute'' - Zanichelli, Milano, 1983 * ''Questo pianeta'' - Editori Riuniti, Roma, 1983 * ''Terra a rendere'' - Ediesse, Roma, 1986 * ''Ambiente terra'' - Mondadori, Milano, 1988 * ''Discorso sulla caccia'' - Editori Riuniti, Roma, 1992

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Laura 1921 births 1993 deaths Italian anti-fascists Italian environmentalists Italian feminists Italian resistance movement members Italian socialist feminists Italian Socialist Party politicians Italian Communist Party politicians Female anti-fascists 20th-century Italian women writers