Maria Luisa Gabriella Epifani, better known as Muzi Epifani (March 18, 1935 – February 12, 1984), was an Italian writer and poet.

Biography

Muzi Epifani was born in

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. She studied literature and philosophy at the

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

and the University of Rome

La Sapienza The Sapienza University of Rome (), formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", abbreviated simply as Sapienza ('Wisdom'), is a public research university located in Rome, Italy. It was founded in 1303 and is as such one of the ...

, where she obtained a degree in aesthetics under the supervision of Emilio Garroni. She was particularly influenced by the

Hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...

Hans-Georg Gadamer Hans-Georg Gadamer (; ; 11 February 1900 – 13 March 2002) was a German philosopher of the continental tradition, best known for his 1960 on hermeneutics, '' Truth and Method'' (''Wahrheit und Methode''). Life Family and early life Gad ...

and the anthropological thought of Ernesto de Martino, whose missions she worked on in

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy, corresponding to the modern-day region of Basilicata. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and ...

and

Salento Salento (; Salentino dialect, Salentino: ''Salentu''; Griko language, Salento Griko: ) is a Cultural area, cultural, List of historical states of Italy, historical, and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apuli ...

. During her studies at La Sapienza, she met Alex Duran (to whom she dedicated her novel ''Pazzi & creature''), Gabriele Giannantoni,

Enzo Siciliano Enzo Siciliano (27 May 1934 – 9 June 2006) was an Italian writer, playwright, literary critic and intellectual. Siciliano was born in Rome. He was a collaborator of Alberto Moravia, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Elsa Morante and many other famous w ...

, and Franco Voltaggio. Epifani was one of the first Italian writers to develop a distinctive style of female writings alongside

Natalia Ginzburg Natalia Ginzburg (, ; ; 14 July 1916 – 7 October 1991) was an Italian author whose work explored family relationships, politics during and after the Fascist years and World War II, and philosophy. She wrote novels, short stories and essays, f ...

Luce d'Eramo Luce d’Eramo (June 17, 1925 – March 6, 2001) was an Italian writer and literary critic. She is best known for her autobiographical novel ''Deviazione'', which recounts her experiences in Germany during World War II. D’Eramo's writings are ...

Dacia Maraini Dacia Maraini (; born November 13, 1936) is an Italian writer. Maraini's work focuses on women's issues, and she has written numerous plays and novels. She has won awards for her work, including the Formentor Prize for ''L'età del malessere'' ...

, Biancamaria Frabotta
Gabriella Sobrino
and Angiola Sacripante. She was a very attentive reader of English female writers such as

Katherine Mansfield Kathleen Mansfield Murry (née Beauchamp; 14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a New Zealand writer and critic who was an important figure in the Literary modernism, modernist movement. Her works are celebrated across the world and have been ...

and, above all,

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

. She collaborated with various newspapers, such as "

l'Unità (; English: "the Unity") is an Italian newspaper, founded as the official newspaper of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1924. It was supportive of that party's successor parties, the Democratic Party of the Left, Democrats of the Left, a ...

", " l'Avanti!", "

Paese Sera ''Paese Sera'' was an Italian afternoon newspaper published between 1949 and 1994. History The newspaper was founded in Rome in 1949, as the afternoon edition of the newspaper ''Il Paese''. Close to the Italian Communist Party, it was intended ...

". She was considered an environmental activist and "Il Globo" published her own innovative column on the protection of the Italian landscape and environment entitled "Article 9", in reference to the Constitution of the Republic of Italy ("The Republic promotes the development of culture and scientific and technological research, providing safeguard of the landscape and historical and artistic heritage on the Nation"). Epifani also worked as a journalist for

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

, Italy's national public broadcasting company, in the fields of theatre and literature. In her “Il Premio Viareggio? La mia vita”, Gabriella Sobrino described Muzi Epifani as always "surrounded by her children". They would work during the nights together "when we had finally managed to put to bed the children who would gather around us like puppies in their multi-coloured pyjamas". In 1976, her comedy "La fuga" (The escape) won the "Young Theatre" Prize. In this satirical play, Epifani intertwined a personal affair with a current political debate concerning the

abortion law Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances ...

in Italy. The writer exposed the Italian hypocrisy of people who would permit abortion in the private sphere whilst at the same time criticising it in public. The play has been republished in 2015. Th
new edition
introduced by the Italian writer and film-director

Cristina Comencini Cristina Comencini (; born 8 May 1956) is an Italian film director, screenwriter and novelist. Biography She is one of four daughters of Italian film director Luigi Comencini Luigi Comencini (; 8 June 1916 – 6 April 2007) was an Italian fil ...

, has been presented at th
Casa delle letterature
in Rome (29 May 2015) by

, Biancamaria Frabotta, Lucianna Di Lello and Franco Voltaggio, with readings made by the Italian actress

Piera degli Esposti Piera Degli Esposti (12 March 1938 – 14 August 2021) was an Italian actress. She appeared in more than 70 films and television shows from 1966 to 2020. In 2009, she won the David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress for her role of Mrs. En ...

. Epifani is the mother of the film director

Francesca Archibugi Francesca Archibugi (; born 16 May 1960) is an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Life and career Born and raised in Rome in an intellectual family (her elder brother is the political and economic theorist Daniele Archibugi), she started ...

, of the dramatist Luca Archibugi and of the economist

Daniele Archibugi Daniele Archibugi (born 17 July 1958 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian economic and political theorist. He works on the economics and policy of innovation and technological change, on the political theory of international relations and on political ...

, a professor at

Birkbeck College, University of London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' ...

. She died in Rome.

Works

Novels and poetry collections

* Muzi Epifani, ''Cloto. Poesia'',

Clotho Clotho (; ) or Klotho, is a mythological figure. She was one of the Three Fates or Moirai. In ancient Greek mythology, she spins the thread of human life, her sisters draw out ( Lachesis) and cut ( Atropos) the thread. She also made major dec ...

is the youngest of the Three Fates. Epifani had herself two elder sisters (see Angiola Sacripante, Prefazione, ''Cloto''). Antonio Lalli Editore, Poggibonsi. * Muzi Epifani, ''Infanzia di una casalinga emancipata'', ''Prospetti'', XII/48, December 1977. * Muzi Epifani, ''Pazzi & creature'', Rebellato, Venice 1982. * Muzi Epifani, ''L'adulterio. (Il lato comico)'', ''Nuovi Argomenti'', n. 16, October–December 1985.

Plays

* Muzi Epifani
''La fuga''
Rome 1976. Republished b
La Mongolfiera Editrice e Spettacoli
Doria di Cassano Jonio, 2015 . * Muzi Epifani and Francesca Pansa, ''Di madre in madre'', Teatro della Maddalena, Rome 1979. * Muzi Epifani and Gabriella Sobrino, ''Flou'', Rome. * Muzi Epifani and Gabriella Sobrino, ''Contrada lunare'', Rome.

Translations into Italian

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Col ...

, ''Maschio e femmina'', Il Saggiatore, Milan 1962. * James H. Leuba, ''La psicologia del misticismo religioso'', Feltrinelli, Milan 1960.

References

External links

* Muzi Epifani
Risveglio
From ''Europa in versi. La poesia femminile del '900'', edited by Luce d'Eramo and Gabriella Sobrino, Il Ventaglio, Roma, 1989.
Website of La Mongolfiera edizioni e spettacoli
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epifani, Muzi 1935 births 1984 deaths Italian women novelists Italian women poets Italian feminists 20th-century Italian women writers 20th-century Italian novelists 20th-century Italian poets