About
Pier Paolo Pasolini, born in Bologna in 1922, is a major figure of 20th-century Italian culture. After studying at the University of Bologna, he published his first poems in the Friulian dialect. Settling in Rome in 1950, he depicted the misery of the suburbs in his novels, including Ragazzi di vita. A filmmaker from 1961, he directed landmark films such as The Gospel According to St. Matthew and the Trilogy of Life. His work, both poetic and engaged, explores the contradictions of modern society. He was murdered in 1975.
* 1922-03-05 — † 1975-11-02
Major works
- Ragazzi di vita (1955)novel
- Le ceneri di Gramsci (1957)poetry collection
- Accattone (1961)film
- Il vangelo secondo Matteo (1964)film
- Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975)film
Key milestones
- 1947Joined the Italian Communist Party, from which he was expelled in 1949.
- 1958Won the Viareggio Prize for his poetry collection Le ceneri di Gramsci.
- 1972Won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale for I racconti di Canterbury.
Themes
marginality and povertycritique of consumer societysexuality and transgressionthe sacred and religiondialect and popular culture
Sources: britannica.com · unibo.it · id.loc.gov