Bartolo Cattafi
Bartolo Cattafi was an Italian poet born on July 6, 1922, in Barcellona, Sicily. Raised in a well-established family, he showed an early interest in classical studies and began writing poetry during the tumultuous period of World War II. After earning a law degree in 1944, he pursued a career in journalism and advertising, while traveling extensively across Europe, experiences that deeply influenced his poetic work. Cattafi's poetry often reflects themes of metaphysical journeys and is characterized by vivid imagery, drawing parallels to the works of notable poets like T.S. Eliot.
His creative output was initially interrupted by a seven-year hiatus; however, in 1971, he experienced a resurgence of inspiration, resulting in the production of approximately four hundred poems, for which he received prestigious literary awards. Despite his prolific writing, Cattafi remains relatively unknown outside of Europe due to the limited translation of his works into English. He is associated with the "Linea Lombarda" group of poets in Milan and is recognized as one of the most significant figures of the "fourth generation" of Italian poets, who explored the spiritual and emotional challenges of postwar society. Bartolo Cattafi passed away from cancer on March 13, 1979, leaving behind a legacy that continues to resonate within the literary community.
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Subject Terms
Bartolo Cattafi
Writer
- Born: July 6, 1922
- Birthplace: Barcellona, near Messina, Sicily, Italy
- Died: March 13, 1979
- Place of death: Sicily, Italy
Biography
Bartolo Cattafi was born on July 6, 1922, in the town of Barcellona, Sicily. His father was a physician who died four months before Cattafi was born. Cattafi’s family consisted of well- established land owners and professionals such as lawyers. He was raised by his mother, formerly Matilde Ortoleva, in Mollerino in the district of Terme Vigliatore, near Messina. At age ten, Cattafi and his mother moved back to Barcellona where he continued his education, especially in classical studies. For a few weeks in 1934 Cattafi was given officer’s training for the military, but was so traumatized by the experience that he had to be hospitalized in Bologna, and on sick leave later returned to Sicily.
Cattafi’s career as a poet began in the spring of 1943 when he wrote his first poems. In 1944 he completed a law degree from the University of Messina, but never practiced law. By 1947, he was living in Milan where he worked in journalism and advertising. During the next twenty years he spent considerable time traveling throughout Europe, giving him ample material for his many poems that treat the nature of journey. During his travels he was nearly killed by a Spaniard in Seville when Cattafi associated with the man’s fiancée. In Orano, in 1953, Cattafi had to be escorted by two policemen protecting him from harassing smugglers. While in Dublin, Cattafi, who knew no English, pretended to be a blind man and begged for a living. In Lowonsford, England, he was hired to pick strawberries, but was soon fired when he fell asleep in the field. These unusual experiences often found their way into his poetry.
In 1966 Cattafi married, and in July of 1967 returned to Mollerino, Sicily, with his wife Ada. He sought the serenity of his childhood home to aid his creativity. Being unable to write poetry, he turned to painting. Then one night in March 1971, after a seven-year hiatus in his writing, he had an inspiration to write some poetry, and during the next ten months produced about four hundred poems. These poems won him the Vann’Antò and the Sebeto prizes in 1972. Cattafi continued to write until he died of cancer on March 13, 1979.
Bartolo Cattafi’s career as a poet has been little known outside of continental Europe since his two dozen volumes of poetry have rarely been translated into English. Ten of his volumes of poetry have appeared posthumously. He has been identified with poets of the “Linea Lombarda” in Milan, including Luciano Erba, Nelo Risi, and Giorgio Orelli. Cattafi’s poetry often contains the motif of a metaphysical journey conveyed through concrete images. Like T. S. Eliot, Cattafi often used “objective correlatives” to express indirectly the emotional impact of an experience or scene. Cattafi was one of the most productive poets of the “fourth generation,” as the 1950’s poets of postwar Italy were often identified, artists caught in a world of spiritual malaise.