World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Mario Rigoni Stern

マリオ・リゴーニ・ステルン

Mario Rigoni Stern

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1921-11-01 （Asiago, Italy）
Died
2008-06-16 （Asiago, Italy） age 86
Nationality
Italian
Languages
Italian

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Writer, Soldier (Alpini)
Active Years
1953-2006

Education

Alpini training course (Aosta Valley)
Country: Italy
Specialized Alpini course attended in 1938. Exact completion details unknown.

Awards

Premio Campiello
Work: The Story of Tönle
Organization: Premio Campiello organization
Result: 受賞
Premio Bagutta
Work: The Story of Tönle
Organization: Premio Bagutta organization
Result: 受賞
Italian PEN prize
Work: Paths Beneath the Snow
Organization: Italian PEN
Result: 受賞
Silver medal for the Russian Campaign
Organization: Italian Army
Result: 受章
Minor planet 12811 Rigonistern (named in his honour)
2003
Organization: Minor Planet Center
Result: 命名

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Sergeant in the Snow

1953 World War II (war/autobiographical novel)

An autobiographical novel based on the author's experience during the disastrous retreat from Russia in World War II, told from the perspective of a sergeant of the Alpini corps.

warsurvivalcomradeshipnature
Translations
  • The Sergeant in the Snow (English translation, 1954)
  • Spanish translation available

The Wood of the Black Grouse

1962 Nature writing / Novel

A work that portrays the relationship between humans and nature through acute observations of mountain life and wildlife.

naturehuntingmountain village life

Quota Albania

1971 War novel

Covers Italian incursions into Albania and campaigns in Greece, drawing on the author's early military experiences.

warmemorymilitary life

The Story of Tönle

1978 Regional literature / Novel

A largely autobiographical novel focusing on local people and nature, depicting seasonal changes and human relationships in the region.

local lifeseasonsnature
Translations
  • English translation: The Story of Tonle (1998, 2012)

Giacomo's Seasons

1995 Essays / Novel

A collection that delicately depicts seasonal changes and people's lives.

seasonsreminiscencenature observation

Bibliography

  • The Sergeant in the Snow (1954, English translation)
  • The Wood of the Black Grouse
  • Quota Albania
  • Ritorno sul Don
  • The Story of Tönle
  • Uomini, boschi e api
  • L'anno della vittoria
  • Amore di confine
  • Arboreto salvatico
  • Giacomo's Seasons
  • Paths Beneath the Snow
  • Inverni lontani
  • Tra due guerre e altre storie
  • L'ultima partita a carte
  • Seasons (2006)

Translations of Works

  • Il sergente nella neve → English (The Sergeant in the Snow, 1954) and Spanish translations
  • Storia di Tönle → English translations (The Story of Tonle, 1998, 2012)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Concise, observant proseStrongly autobiographical and regionally rooted narration
Recurring Motifs
mountains and natureseasonal changewar and memoryhunting and wildlife

Legacy

Mario Rigoni Stern is known for his war literature based on WWII experiences and regionally rooted nature-oriented works. Praised for concise, observant prose, he received several Italian literary prizes and has been honored culturally (including a minor planet named after him).

In Popular Culture

  • Minor planet 12811 Rigonistern named in his honour (2003)

Trivia

  • His best-known work Il sergente nella neve is based on his experience during the retreat from Russia.
  • Storia di Tönle earned him the Premio Campiello and the Premio Bagutta (years not specified).
  • Minor planet 12811 Rigonistern is named in his honour.