Giovanni Arpino,
ten years after his death.
(nella foto Giovanni Arpino con LoredanaFurno)
Turin and the rest of Italy greatly celebrated the 10th anniversary of the death of the writer Primo Levi. Indeed, the autor of "Se questo è un uomo" was definitely worthy of such celebrations.
What people might not remember is that in the same year, precisely in December, another great man died: Giovanni Arpino.
Born in Lubiana of Italian parents, he soon moved to Bra, where he spent his childhood. Then he went to Turin, but Bra remained in his heart as his hometown and it was in Bra that he, still a young man, married Caterina, his love and companion till death...
An ironical, rough character, maybe unhappy. For Giovanni Arpino truth always had priority over good manners. He wrote several books, among which we can remeber: "La suora giovane", "Una nuvola d'ira", "Azzurro tenebra", "Anima persa", "Sei stato felice Giovanni?", "Il fratello italiano" and "Domingo il favoloso" .
I still can remember the rough copy of "Dominingo il favoloso", which Arpino had given to Farassino, so that he could recognize himself in the protagonist.
He was a journalist too, dealing with any field of journalism, including Sport Journalism. He wrote in "La Stampa", then in "Il Giornale". Yet, even in the milanese newspaper, he was writing of Turin.
To all people who used his books for the cinema or theatre, for the radio or television he went on repeating "Just consider me as a dead author".
He was a great, unique character. And success did not change him at all.
His simplicity comes to light in the poetry of "Ad hoce ferme", piedmontese ironic, everyday poems.
His character did not allow him to have many friends. We were some of the few, and his death left us orphans, without him as our reference point.
To anyone who continues reading his books, which are timeless.
Massimo Scaglione
pag.10
