November 6, 1998

Contact:
Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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Italian Author Enzo Siciliano To Read at the Library of Congress

Enzo Siciliano will read from his work on Monday, November 16, at 6:45 p.m. in the Mumford Room, sixth floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. The event is sponsored by the European Division and Scholarly Programs Office of the Library of Congress and the European Union and Embassy of Italy. It is one of a series of "New Literature from Europe" programs. A reception will follow the reading.

Born in Rome in 1934, Enzo Siciliano graduated from the University of Rome in philosophy and began working at RAI, the Italian National Broadcasting Corporation, as a junior reporter. He rose through the ranks until being appointed President of RAI in 1996. He is also a well-known and respected journalist, contributing to Italy's most prominent dailies and periodicals.

Mr. Siciliano's literary career began in 1963, with the publication of Racconti Ambigui, followed by the novel La Coppia (1966). He created and directed a film based on La Coppia, which debuted at the 1969 Venice Film Festival. Since then he has published several novels and collections of short stories. For many years, he coedited the journal Nuovi Argomenti, one of the most influential periodicals in Italian letters. Since 1995 he has been the director of the prominent Florentine Gabinetto scientifico letterario G.P. Vieusseux and the new series of its journal Antologia Vieusseux.

Siciliano's biographies include Vita di Pasolini (1976), a milestone in the study and appreciation of this seminal figure in Italian culture. His contributions to theater include La Parola Tagliatain Bocca (1985), La Casa Scoppiata (1987), Singoli (1989), and Scuola Romana (1994).

His recent publications include Diario italiano, 1991-96 (Mondadori, 1996), the 1998 Strega prize-winning novel I bei momenti (Mondadori, 1997), and a dramatic text Morte di Galeazzo Ciano (Einaudi, 1998).

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PR 98-178
11/06/98
ISSN 0731-3527