''Take-off'' (), published in the United States as ''Takeoff: The Pilot's Lore'', is a 1994 essay collection by the Italian writer and aviator Daniele Del Giudice. It consists of Del Giudice's personal reflections and memories about flight, as well as other aviation anecdotes related to

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 ...

and the years after it. The book was written on the request of

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He is known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and ...

after Del Giudice told him some aviation stories. Several critics likened the book to the works of

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...

; ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'' called it "a direct descendent of the Saint-Exupéry school of aeronautical/philosophical writing". In Italy, it was awarded the

Bagutta Prize The Bagutta Prize is an Italian literary prize that is awarded annually to Italian writers. The prize originated among patrons of Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy ...

and

Flaiano Prize The Premi Flaiano (English: Flaiano Prizes) are a set of Italian international awards recognizing achievements in the fields of creative writing, cinema, theatre and radio-television. Established to honour the Italian author and screenwriter Enn ...

and was one of five finalists for the Campiello Prize. The English translation by Joseph Farrell received the

John Florio Prize The John Florio Prize for Italian translation is awarded by the Society of Authors, with the co-sponsorship of the Italian Cultural Institute and Arts Council England. Named after the Tudor Anglo-Italian writer-translator John Florio Giovann ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Einaudi

Harvill Press/Penguin
1994 non-fiction books Italian essay collections Italian memoirs Aviation books