Born in Naples in 1950, Erri De Luca writes fiction, theater, translations and poetry. At just 18, he witnessed the events of 1968 firsthand, subscribing to the movements of the extraparliamentary left. Between the 1970s and 1990s, he worked as a volunteer in Tanzania and in Bosnia during the Civil War. He also taught himself Hebrew, translating several books from the Bible. The scope of these translations, which De Luca calls "translations of service" (which are also appreciated by specialists), does not present the biblical text in the simple elegant language, but rather reproduces them in a language that is more similar and adherent to the original Hebrew. He is a columnist for Il manifesto and la Repubblica. Since his first novel Non ora, non qui, published in 1989, he has released dozens of books that have been translated into over 30 languages. He has worked with artists such as Gian Maria Testa, Mario Brunello, Marco Paolini, Gabriele Mirabassi, Sara Cianfriglia and Simone Gandolfo in putting together shows such as Attraverso, Chisciotte e gli invincibili, In nome della madre, In viaggio con Aurora and Chisciottimisti, which he both wrote and starred in. A passionate mountaineer, he lives in the Roman countryside. In recent years he published La faccia delle nuvole, La natura esposta, Diavoli custodi (with drawings by Alessandro Mendini), Il giro dell'oca, Anni di rame e Impossibile.

(photo: © Festivaletteratura)