Adriano Spatola
Adriano Spatola, born Bruno Spatola on May 4, 1941, in Sapjane, Yugoslavia, was a prominent Italian poet and a significant figure in the avant-garde literary movement. After growing up in Imola, Italy, he initially pursued law but shifted his focus to Italian literature, becoming a crucial member of the literary collective Gruppo '63. Spatola's work is characterized by innovative forms, including puzzle poems and concrete poetry, which he explored through publications such as "Poesia da montare" and "Zeroglifico." Throughout his career, he maintained a dual life as a proofreader and a poet, contributing to various journals, including Quindici and Tam Tam, while also engaging in collaborations with poets like Giulia Niccolai. His personal life saw him navigating complex relationships, including a marriage with Anna Fausta Neri and a long-term partnership with Niccolai, followed by marriage to Bianca Maria Bonazzi shortly before his death on November 23, 1988. Spatola's poetry often merged visual elements with textual content, reflecting a strong social and political consciousness. His legacy is marked by his experimental approach and his role in redefining contemporary literature in Italy.
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Adriano Spatola
Writer
- Born: May 4, 1941
- Birthplace: Sapjane, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
- Died: November 23, 1988
Biography
Adriano Spatola was born Bruno Spatola in Sapjane, Yugoslavia, on May 4, 1941, but he later adopted his childhood name, Adriano. He grew up in Imola, Italy, and after completing high school in 1958, he enrolled in law school in Bologna, where he began to edit and publish the magazine Babilu. In 1961, after hearing Luciano Anceschi lecture on poetry, Spatola decided to abandon law school in order to study Italian literature.
Although Spatola did not complete his studies at the University of Bologna until the beginning of the 1980’s, by that time he had made already established himself as a poet of the new avant-garde school. In addition, Spatola was a founding member of Gruppo ’63, a collective whose goal was to broaden contemporary literature. Despite his growing reputation, Spatola worked as a proofreader for the Mulino publishing house in order to pay his bills. On June 12, 1965, Spatola married Anna Fausta Neri, and in May, 1966, they had a son, Riccardo.
After creating posters for the journal Malebolge, Spatola moved to the board of editors of Quindici, a political journal that featured sociologists, critics, and political activists, in addition to poets. At Quindici Spatola met the poet Giulia Niccolai, with whom he collaborated on translations and several other projects. Quindici had its headquarters in Rome, and after separating from his first wife, Spatola soon began living in Rome with Niccolai. Divorce was illegal in Italy at the time. Although Spatola was able to obtain a divorce in 1984, he and Niccolai never married.
Spatola’s first published volume was the collection of poems Le pietre e gli dei (the stones and the gods), which is nearly impossible to find today. He later published a novel, L’oblò (the porthole), which won the Ferro di Cavallo Prize. As an experiment in form, in 1965 Spatola published the puzzle poem Poesia da montare (poetry to be assembled), and in 1966 the book Zeroglifico (translated as Zeroglyphics in 1977), a package of concrete poems on cards.
In 1970, Spatola and Niccolai left Rome to settle in a farmhouse near Mulino di Bazzano, in the province of Parma. The house was a solid sixteenth century peasant house with no heating or telephone, and there the couple edited the poetry magazine Tam Tam. However, Niccolai left Spatola in 1979. He subsequently met Bianca Maria Bonazzi, who moved in with him in October, 1980. During the 1980’s, Spatola lived with Bonazzi while continuing to write poems. He married Bonazzi a few months before dying on November 23, 1988.
During the final years of his short life, Spatola worked as an editor and lecturer while continuing to produce inventive poems with a strong social and political standpoint. Spatola’s poems were not limited to words on a page, but used graphic design to enhance their imagery.