Writer, journalist and essayist born in Sant’Agata di Militello (Catania), Consolo is considered one of the greatest Italian contemporary storytellers.
Graduated with a degree in philosophy of law (University of Messina), after fulfilling his military service, he returned to Sicily to teach. In 1963 he débuted with his first novel, “The wound of April”, glimpse of the life in a Sicilian village struggling in the early postwar years.
In 1968, having won a competition at the RAI, he moved to Milan -where he lived and worked until his death- carrying out an intense journalistic activity, with long stays in Sicily.
Consolo’s breakthrough happened in 1976 , with “The Smile of the Unknown Sailor”, peculiar reconstruction of some events that took place in the north of Sicily during the transition from the Bourbon regime to that of the newly unified Italy culminated in the bloody peasant revolt of Alcara Li Fusi in May 1860. Among his other major works: Retablo (1987), Nottetempo, casa per casa (1992), l’olivo e l’olivastro (1994), lo spasimo di Palermo (1998), Di qua dal faro (2001). Among the stories: Le Pierre di Pantalica (1988), Per un po’ d’erba ai limiti del feudo (1967), Un giorno come gli altri (1983), il racconto teatrale Lunaria (1985), Catarsi (1989), Il cortex di Dionisio (2009).
In 2007 Consolo received an honorary degree in Modern Philology from the University of Palermo. Along with various awards over the years, in 1992 Consolo won the “Strega” prize with Nottetempo, casa per casa”.
Read More:
1. Wikipedia, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Consolo
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