Nobel Prize in Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 32 (1934) Winner
Luigi Pirandello
ルイージ・ピランデッロ
Luigi Pirandello
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1867-06-28 （Girgenti (now Agrigento), Sicily, Kingdom of Italy）
- Died
- 1936-12-10 （Rome, Lazio, Kingdom of Italy） age 69
- Nationality
- Italian
- Languages
- Italian, Sicilian
- Religion
- Roman Catholic
- Residence History
- Agrigento (Girgenti) → Palermo → Rome → Bonn, Germany
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, playwright, poet, short story writer
- Active Years
- 1893-1933
- Influenced By
- Goethe, Giosuè Carducci, German Romanticism, Cecco Angiolieri (poetic tradition)
- Influenced
- Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Jean-Paul Sartre, Dario Fo
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Bonn | — | Romance Philology | 博士 | 1889–1891 | Germany |
| University of Palermo (attended) | — | Enrolled in Law and Letters | — | 1886–1887 | Italy |
| Sapienza University of Rome (attended, left) | — | Letters | — | 1887 | Italy |
University of Bonn
Romance Philology
Degree:
博士
Period:
1889–1891
Year of Graduation:
1891
Country:
Germany
Doctorate with a dissertation on the dialect of Agrigento
University of Palermo (attended)
Enrolled in Law and Letters
Period:
1886–1887
Country:
Italy
Early studies and developing interest in literature
Sapienza University of Rome (attended, left)
Letters
Period:
1887
Country:
Italy
Left after a conflict with a professor and went to Bonn
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | Nobel Prize in Literature | — | — | Swedish Academy | 受賞 |
| 1929 | Academic of Italy (honorary) | — | — | Royal Academy of Italy | 任命 |
Nobel Prize in Literature
1934
Organization:
Swedish Academy
Result:
受賞
Academic of Italy (honorary)
1929
Organization:
Royal Academy of Italy
Result:
任命
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Late Mattia Pascal (Il fu Mattia Pascal)
1904 novelA novel about assumed death and a new identity: the protagonist's fake death and subsequent struggles examine the relation between individual and society.
identityfate and chancesocial masks
Adaptations
- [film] Feu Mathias Pascal / Marcel L'Herbier (1925)
- [film] The Man from Nowhere / The Former Mattia Pascal / Pierre Chenal (1937)
Translations
- English translation of The Late Mattia Pascal
Six Characters in Search of an Author (Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore)
1921 drama / playAn experimental play blurring the boundary between drama and reality: characters searching for their author confront a theatre company, questioning the nature of theatre.
boundary between reality and fictionself and rolecreation and ownership
Adaptations
- [stage] Six Characters in Search of an Author (stage productions) (1921)
Translations
- Multiple English translations (e.g., translations by Robert Rietti)
Henry IV (Enrico IV)
1922 play / dramaA psychological drama where the protagonist behaves between madness and sanity believing himself to be a king; explores identity and performance.
madness and sanityperformance vs. realityidentity
Adaptations
- [film] Henry IV (film) / Marco Bellocchio (1984)
One, No One and One Hundred Thousand (Uno, nessuno e centomila)
1926 novelA novel depicting how personal self-perception fragments under others' gazes; examines multiplicity of the self and social perspectives.
fragmented identitythe gaze of othersontological uncertainty
Translations
- English translations (e.g., translations by William Weaver)
Bibliography
- Mal Giocondo (1889) (poetry)
- The Turn (Il turno) (1902) (novel)
- The Late Mattia Pascal (Il fu Mattia Pascal) (1904) (novel)
- Short Stories for a Year (Novelle per un anno) 1922–37 (short stories)
- Six Characters in Search of an Author (Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore) (1921) (play)
Adaptations
- Feu Mathias Pascal (1925 film, Marcel L'Herbier)
- Henry IV (1984 film, Marco Bellocchio)
- Numerous film adaptations of short stories and plays (1920s–2000s)
Translations of Works
- English translation of The Late Mattia Pascal
- English translation of One, No One and One Hundred Thousand (e.g., William Weaver)
- Six Characters in Search of an Author (multiple English translations)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- modernist experimentationpsychological depiction based on humorism theorymeta-theatrical techniques blurring theatre and reality
- Recurring Motifs
- self vs. othermasks and rolesoverlap of reality and fiction
Legacy
Pirandello made a major contribution to 20th-century drama and fiction. His experimental theatrical techniques and depiction of fragmented identity became an important legacy influencing the Theatre of the Absurd and existentialist drama.
In Popular Culture
- Noted as an influence on playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter.
- The 1930 television production of 'The Man with the Flower in His Mouth' is regarded as an early milestone in television drama.
Quotes
-
"for his bold and ingenious revival of dramatic and scenic art"
Source: Nobel Prize citation (Nobel Prize in Literature) (1934)
Trivia
- Pirandello won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934.
- Reportedly gave his Nobel medal to the Fascist government's Gold for the Fatherland campaign in 1935.
- His private life was heavily affected by his wife's mental illness.