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Edition 67 (1996) Winner
Alda Merini
アルダ・メリーニ
Alda Merini
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1931-03-21 （Milan）
- Died
- 2009-11-01 （Milan） age 78
- Nationality
- Italian
- Languages
- Italian
- Residence History
- Milan → Taranto
Career
- Occupations
- writer, poet
- Active Years
- 1953-2008
- Influenced By
- Rainer Maria Rilke
- Influenced
- Giorgio Manganelli, Salvatore Quasimodo, Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Nominations
- Nobel Prize in Literature candidate (1996, nominated by Académie Française)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Istituto Laura Solera Mantegazza | — | school-to-work transition programme | — | — | Italy |
Istituto Laura Solera Mantegazza
school-to-work transition programme
Country:
Italy
Attended after primary school
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Viareggio Prize | The Easy Life | — | — | 受賞 |
| — | Premio Dessì | — | — | — | 受賞 |
| 1984 | Librex Montale Prize | Holy Land | 詩 | — | 受賞 |
| 2007 | Elsa Morante Award | Alda and Me: Fairytales | Ragazzi | — | 受賞 |
Viareggio Prize
1996
Work:
The Easy Life
Result:
受賞
Premio Dessì
Result:
受賞
Librex Montale Prize
1984
Work:
Holy Land
Category:
詩
Result:
受賞
Elsa Morante Award
2007
Work:
Alda and Me: Fairytales
Category:
Ragazzi
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Other Truth. Diary of a Misfit
1986 Poetry/AutobiographyMasterpiece concerning her time in a mental institution
Mental illnessLoveMysticism
Translations
Holy Land
1984 Poetry collectionIntense work based on psychiatric ward experience
Holy landSufferingRedemption
Translations
- The Holy Land (Guernica, 2001)
The Presence of Orpheus
1953 Poetry collectionFirst collection of poems
OrpheusPresence
Fear of God
1955 Poetry collectionPoems written 1947-1953
Fear of God
Bibliography
- La presenza di Orfeo (1953)
- Paura di Dio (1955)
- Nozze romane (1954)
- La pazza della porta accanto (1954)
- Tu sei Pietro (1962)
- Terra Santa (1984)
- The Other Truth. Diary of a Misfit (1986)
Adaptations
- Alda Merini: A Woman on Stage (documentary, 2009)
Translations of Works
- A Rage of Love (Guernica, 1996)
- Unpaid Ballad (Dante University Press, 2001)
- The Holy Land (Guernica, 2001)
- Love Lessons: Selected Poems (Facing Pages, 2009)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- IntensePassionateMystic
- Recurring Motifs
- Mental institution experiencesLove deliriumMysticism
Health
-
Mental illness1964-1970, 複数入院Influenced her writing, affected family
Legacy
Renowned Italian poet known for works on mental illness. Honored with Google Doodle
In Popular Culture
- Street named in Rozzano, Milan suburb
- Google Doodle (2016)
Quotes
-
I couldn't have written anything about the flowers in that moment because I myself had become a flower, I myself had a stem and I myself produced sap.
Source: L'altra verità. Diario di una diversa (1986) -
One day I lost words/ I came here to tell you this and not because you responded/ I don't love conversations or questions: I noticed that I once sang in a voiceless choir/ I meditated a long time on the silence, and to silence there is no response./ I threw away my poems/ I didn't have paper to write them on.
Source: A Woman on Stage (2009)
Trivia
- Wrote first poem at 15, teacher showed to critic
- Multiple mental hospital stays
- Two husbands, four daughters
- Honorary degree from University of Messina (2007)