Natalia Ginzburg first reached a public audience in 1933 when her story I bambini appeared in the magazine Solaria. Over the following six decades, the Italian author navigated the complexities of family life, political exile, and the trauma of the Second World War through a prolific career as a novelist, playwright, and translator working primarily from Rome.
Early Life and Education
Born Natalia Levi in Palermo in 1916, she moved to Turin as a child when her father, Giuseppe Levi, accepted a position at the University of Turin. She grew up in a secular, intellectually active household alongside her sister Paola and three brothers. During the height of Italy's antisemitic laws in 1942, she published her debut novel under the pseudonym Alessandra Tornimparte to circumvent publishing bans.
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In 1938, she married Leone Ginzburg. During the Second World War, the couple faced persecution for their anti-Fascist activities. Leone was sent to internal exile in Pizzoli between 1941 and 1943. After the pair moved to Rome to manage an underground newspaper, Leone was arrested and subsequently died in incarceration in 1944. Following the war, she worked for the publisher Giulio Einaudi editions.
Political and Artistic Life
In 1950, she married the scholar Gabriele Baldini and relocated to Rome, marking her most productive literary period. Her diverse body of work includes novels such as Family Sayings, essays like The Little Virtues, and plays such as I Married You for Fun. She appeared as Mary of Bethany in the 1964 film The Gospel According to St. Matthew. Later in life, she served in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Republic from 1983 to 1991.
Fast facts
- Born: 1916, Palermo
- Died: 1991, Rome
- Education: University of Turin
- Political service: Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1983-1991)
- Strega Prize: 1963
- Bagutta Prize: 1984
- Burial site: Campo Verano
- Known works include: Family Sayings
Questions readers ask
What was Natalia Ginzburg's role in the Italian Parliament?
She served as an independent member of the Chamber of Deputies for two terms, from 1983 to 1987 and from 1987 until her death in 1991.
Did Ginzburg work in other fields besides literature?
Yes, she was a translator, a politician, an editor for Giulio Einaudi editions, and an actress who appeared in a Pier Paolo Pasolini film.
Achievements
- Notable work: Family Sayings
- Affiliated with Giulio Einaudi editions
- Educated at University of Turin
- Worked as writer, politician and playwright
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