Conversations in Sicily led to the imprisonment of Elio Vittorini in 1941, marking a definitive moment in his career as an anti-fascist novelist. Born in Syracuse in 1908, he navigated the shifting political landscape of 20th-century Italy, eventually emerging as a central figure in Neorealism through his work as an editor, translator, and linguist.
Early Life and Exile
Vittorini spent his childhood moving across Sicily, following the career of his father, a railroad worker. By 1924, he departed his home region permanently. His initial professional pursuits included work as a construction laborer in the Julian March and later as a type corrector in Florence, a role he relinquished in 1934 due to lead poisoning. Literary journals began featuring his writing around 1927, though fascist censorship frequently delayed the formal publication of his novels, including The Red Carnation, until after World War II.
Political Engagement and Censorship
His opposition to Benito Mussolini manifested in both his writing and political activity. In 1937, he faced expulsion from the National Fascist Party for supporting the Republican cause during the Spanish Civil War. By 1939, he resided in Milan, where his editorial efforts regarding an anthology of American literature met with official suppression. His commitment to the Resistance culminated in a 1942 arrest and his subsequent involvement with the Italian Communist Party, which served as the backdrop for his 1945 novel, Men and not Men.
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Beyond his own prose, Vittorini exerted influence on post-war Italian literature through his translation of English and American authors, including William Faulkner, D. H. Lawrence, William Saroyan, and Ernest Hemingway. In 1945, he served as editor for L'Unità and the weekly Il Politecnico. Later, he co-founded the cultural journal Il Menabò in 1959 with Calvino, focusing on the intersection of literature and the industrial age.
Late Years and Legacy
The Hungarian Uprising of 1956 prompted a profound reassessment of his political convictions, leading him to largely withdraw from fiction writing. While he ran as a candidate for the Italian Socialist Party, his later years were defined primarily by his editorial tenure. He died in 1966 in Milan, leaving behind several unfinished manuscripts. His body of work remains a significant component of Italian Neorealism, reflecting his status as an atheist and an outspoken intellectual of his era.
Fast facts
- Born: 1908, Syracuse
- Died: 1966, Milan
- Primary occupations: writer, translator, editor, partisan
- Citizenship: Italy
- Notable work: Conversations in Sicily (1941)
- Political shift: Member of the Italian Communist Party, then Italian Socialist Party
- Languages: Italian and English
Questions readers ask
Why was Elio Vittorini jailed in 1941?
He was imprisoned following the publication of his anti-fascist novel, Conversations in Sicily.
What influence did Ernest Hemingway have on his work?
Hemingway's stylistic approach influenced Vittorini's writing, particularly in the novel Conversations in Sicily, and Hemingway provided an introduction to the first U.S. edition of the book in 1949.
Did he continue writing until his death?
No, he largely abandoned fiction writing after 1956, following the events of the Hungarian Uprising, and spent his remaining years working as an editor.
Achievements
- Genres: essay
