10 Contemporary Italian Authors You Should Be Reading...

When people think of Italian literature, they often think of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio but there are some excellent authors (still among the living) that make for some great reading, especially on contemporary issues. Below is a list of 10 exciting and interesting Italian writers that any student of Italian should check out (NB: The authors listed below are not in any particular order nor are they ordered by any preference or taste):

• Marco Travaglio
  Marco Travaglio is one of the Italian government's most harshest critics. He has written numerous books with other journalists and writers and is an important figure in the Italian media. While his works are often very polarized, he approaches his arguments in a very clear, concise and erudite manner. He never shies away from controversy and doesn't seem afraid to speak his mind on a variety of issues.
  
  Some reading suggestions:
  Bananas
  Bananas II
  Se li conosci li eviti
  La scomparsa dei fatti
  Il bavaglio
  
  
• Mario Fortunato
  Mario Fortunato is a noted Italian writer whose works are often not picked up by the mainstream as they should. I feel like a lot of readers do not understand his style or his method. He's written a few books and some quite excellent short stories. He's recently released two books that are worth reading. As a writer, I think that you're bound to find that his short stories are, in my opinion, a bit better than his longer works. Don't get me wrong, his books are interesting, enjoyable, and they definitely make you reflect. He's currently a writer for L'Espresso.
  
  Books to read:
  Luoghi naturali a favorite!
  L'arte di perdere peso
  I giorni innocenti della guerra
  Quelli che ami non muoiono
  
  
• Paolo Giordano
  Giordano won this year's Strega Prize (Premio Strega) for his first book, La solitudine dei numeri primi (read my review)-- a story that follows a young man and woman as they grow into adults and never seem to be able to come together. It's a unique story which I really enjoyed. Considering the popularity that it has garnered in Italy (it will be translated into English and released in 2009), it is definitely worth reading to see what all the fuss is about. Some have criticized its simplistic style of writing. While the style might perhaps be too "mass media", it is still a deep and moving novel. This is the author's first novel, and it will be curious to see what follows.
  
  
• Gianni Celati
  A professor at the University of Bologna, noted scholar and translator, Celati has a unique style of writing that is hard to pin down. Having been the professor to many other Italian writers, Celati has also had some success of his own. His works are not easy to read, but they are worth the challenge that non-native speakers face in reading his works. He recently published a two volume set of stories, entitled I costumi degli italiani - a set of short stories that are all interconnected like what you might find in a television miniseries, featuring different sets of characters and different situations. Some of Celati's works have been translated into English, but they are definitely worth reading in their original Italian. Celati's works are definitely unique.
  
  Books to read:
  I costumi degli italiani I : un eroe moderno
  I costumi degli itlaiani II: il benessere arriva in casa Pucci
  Vite di pascolanti (winner of the 2006 Premio Viareggio)
  Fata Morgana
  Cinema naturale
  



• Fabio Volo
  Fabio Volo's most recent novel, Il giorno in più, proved to be one of Italy's best selling novels the past year. The story is an uplifting one about a man who meets a young woman on a tram, seeing her day after day and then finally when she asks him to have a coffee, she reveals to him that she is moving abroad for her job. The book follows the trials and tribulations of Volo's main character -- at times the book is funny and others it is moving and touching.
  
  Books to read:
  Il giorno in più a favorite!
  Un posto nel mondo
  È una vita che ti aspetto
  
  
  
• Dacia Maraini
  One of Italy's leading woman writers, Dacia Maraini's works are thought provoking and well written. When you read any of her works, you can always sense that a lot of research and preparation has gone into her writings. I've only read two of her works, but I enjoyed them both, and my recommendation is, if you enjoy mystery stories, to read her book, Voci, about a journalist and a police woman who team up to solver the murder of another young woman. The ending will surprise you. It's also a great experience to read about a female protagonist written by a woman. Sometimes women writers in Italy do not get the attention that their male counterparts do.
  
  Books to read:
  Voci a favorite!
  Il treno dell'ultima notte
  Isolina a favorite!
  
  
  
• Grazia Verasani
  I've read Versani's Quo vadis, baby? after seeing the film. Quo vadis, baby? is a story about a female private detective who stumbles across some old home videos of her sister, an aspiring actress who leaves her home in Bologna to go to Rome and who committed suicide some years before. As the main character watches these mysterious tapes, she begins to wonder if her sister wasn't indeed murdered. Definitely a book worth reading! Check out some of her other writings, too.
  
  Books to read:
  Quo vadis, baby?
  Tutto il freddo che ho preso
  
  
  
• Stefano Benni
  I've only read Benni's recent work, a collection of short stories, entitled La grammatica di Dio, a collection of odd stories that sometimes left me feeling perplexed and a little sad. Benni writes about the absurb, often strange reactions that people have to their experiences and interactions with others. While I often found some of the stories slightly disturbing, they are the kind of stories that you just couldn't put down. He has a skillful way of making even the most absurb and disturbing seem comical.
  
  Books to read:
  La grammatica di Dio
  Achille piè veloce
  Elianto
  
  
  
• Andrea Camilleri
  One of Italy's most celebrated writers, Camilleri is most known for his Inspector Montalbano mystery stories. Camilleri has also written other works -- one of my favorites is his "dictionary" of mafia terms associated with Provenzano and the pizzini. Camilleri's works can sometimes be difficult to read since he sometimes intermixes Sicilian with standard Italian. Camilleri is extremely prolific, publishing and writing all the time. If you have trouble with the Sicilian/Italian mix in his writings, having this Sicilian-Italian dictionary handy can be helpful.
  
  Books to read:
  Voi non sapete
  Il casellante
  La vampa d'agosto
  
  
  
• Matteo Maffucci
  Matteo Maffucci, half of the duo Zero Assoluto, is one of my favorite new Italian writers. He has a quixotic and unusual way of telling a story, and the observations of his characters are always insightful without being pedantic and stuffy. Spielberg ti odio is the most unusual of his two novels, about a young man who works part-time in a video store. Having just dumped his girlfriend, he contemplates life again on his own, often finding himself thinking and doing some really strange things. Maffucci's books offer a glimpse into the mind of young Italians (men, in particular) and attempts to provide the reader with a key to their motivations.
  
  Books to read:
  Spielberg ti odio a favorite!
  Cascasse il mondo