Rocco Scotellaro
Rocco Scotellaro was an Italian poet, politician, and social activist born on April 19, 1923, in Tricario, Lucania. Growing up in a modest family, he demonstrated academic promise, eventually earning a degree in the classics and briefly attending law school. His political career began as a socialist activist in 1944, leading to his election as mayor of Tricario in 1946, where he implemented vital community services, including a literacy program and the founding of the town's first hospital. Scotellaro's literary contributions flourished in the late 1940s, with poetry published in various periodicals and the eventual posthumous release of collections such as "E fatto giorno." His works often reflect themes of social justice and pastoral life, earning him recognition and several literary awards during his lifetime. Despite a promising political career, Scotellaro faced challenges, including a brief imprisonment on embezzlement charges that led to his resignation from public office. He passed away at the young age of 30 on December 15, 1953, leaving behind a legacy of both political and literary significance.
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Subject Terms
Rocco Scotellaro
Writer
- Born: April 19, 1923
- Birthplace: Tricarico, Italy
- Died: December 15, 1953
- Place of death: Portici, Italy
Biography
Rocco Scotellaro was born on April 19, 1923, in Tricario, Lucania, Italy, where his father was a shoemaker and his mother was the town midwife. Though from a poor family, he attended a convent school for more than two years, and then moved frequently among schools in Matera, Potenza, Trento, and Bari. He eventually earned a degree in the classics. Scotellaro attended law school at the University of Rome and the University of Naples, but was forced to leave school following his father’s death in 1942. He worked as a private tutor in Tricario.
In 1944, Scotellaro became an active socialist, organizing unions. In 1946, he was voted mayor of Tricario in the first election following World War II. He was an honest and compassionate politician, providing needed services for the community, including a literacy program. In 1947, he founded Tricario’s first hospital. He also served as the hospital’s president. He returned to academic study in 1948, working on a research project about illiteracy, commissioned by the Laterza publishing house. As part of the project, he sketched biographical case studies of farm workers, which were published in 1954 in Contadini del sud. During the late 1940’s, he published his poetry in periodicals, including Basilicata, Botteghe oscure, Communita, Fiera letteraria, Pattuglia, Ponte, and Strada. Scotellaro received fellowships from the Center for Social Studies of Communital in Ivrea in 1948 and 1948 and from the Portici School of Agriculture in 1950. His literary awards include the Premio dell’Unita, received in 1947: the Premio Roma, 1950; and the Premio Monticchio, 1956
Scotellaro’s political career came to an end in 1950. After being jailed on charges of embezzlement, he resigned his mayoralty, despite his acquittal. In 1953, he resigned from his position of president of the Tricario hospital. He died on December 15, 1953 from a circulatory ailment.
Except for publications in periodicals, all of Scotellaro’s work was published posthumously. E fatto giorno, a collection of his poetry, was published in 1954; an English-language translation, The Sky with Its Mouth Wide Open, was released in 1976. The book won both a Pellegrino Prize and a Viareggio Prize in 1954. He also left behind an unfinished autobiographical novel, L’uva puttanell, which was published in 1955. Scotellaro is recognized for his commitment to social justice and his political and pastoral poetry.