Albino Pierro
Albino Pierro, born on November 19, 1916, in Tursi, Basilicata, Italy, is celebrated as one of Europe's foremost dialect poets. His early life was marked by the loss of his mother shortly after his birth, an experience that later inspired his poetry, notably in his collection *Mia madre passava* (1955). Initially writing in Italian, Pierro gained prominence for his innovative use of the Tursi dialect, a unique, archaic language with influences from Romance and Arabic. His collections, such as *A terra d'u ricorde* (1960) and *Metaponto* (1963), received critical acclaim and contributed significantly to the preservation of the Tursi dialect.
Throughout his career, Pierro's work has been translated into multiple languages, enhancing his global reach and influence. He received several prestigious awards, including the Carducci and Mediterraneo prizes, and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In recognition of his contributions, a poetry contest named the Albino Pierro Poetry in Dialect Competition was established, and he was honored with an honorary degree from the University of Basilicata in 1992. Pierro passed away on March 23, 1995, leaving behind a rich legacy in both Italian literature and the cultural heritage of his region.
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Albino Pierro
Writer
- Born: November 19, 1916
- Birthplace: Tursi, Italy
- Died: March 23, 1995
- Place of death: Rome, Italy
Biography
Known as one of Europe’s premier dialect poets, Albino Pierro was born on November 19, 1916, in the town of Tursi in the Basilicata region of Italy. He was the son of Salvatore and Margherita Ottomano Piero. Although his family spoke only Italian at home, Pierro enjoyed visiting with the local villagers who spoke in Tursi, their regional dialect. Pierro’s mother died a few months after his birth; his third collection of poems,Mia madre passava (1955), combined the apparition of his mother with the landscape of Basilicata. After graduating from the school of education at the University of Rome in 1944, where his thesis covered St. Augustine’s political thought, Pierro worked as a high school history and philosophy teacher before becoming a full-time poet.
Although his first books, such as Liriche (1946), were written in Italian, Pierro is most famous for his later work such as A terra d’u ricorde (1960); he was the first writer to use the Tursi dialect in his poetry. This dialect, a sort of proto-Romance, Arabic-flavored language, is one of the most archaic in Italy. In addition to its poetic merit, Pierro’s work has been studied as a preservation of the Tursi dialect, since large samples of this language had not been available to scholarship before. His dialect poetry has been widely translated into various languages, including French, English, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Swedish, and Russian.
Two of Pierro’s best books of poetry were both published in 1963: Metaponto (revised in 1982) and I’nnammurete. These poetry collections confirmed his reputation as a skilled poet with a mythic, archetypal vision, and Pierro began winning various awards such as the Carducci, the Mediterraneo, and Brutium prizes. Throughout the 1970’s, 1980’s, and into the 1990’s, Pierro continued publishing volumes of poetry both in Italian and in the Tursi dialect, eventually becoming a nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In October, 1982, a literary conference in Pierro’s honor was held at Tursi, and in 1985 a concordance of his dialect poetry was published; in addition, a poetry contest was named after him, the Albino Pierro Poetry in Dialect Competition. Pierro was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Basilicata in 1992, both for his poetic work and for his contribution to the preservation of the dialect of the Basilicata region. He died in Rome on March 23, 1995.