Mario Soldati
Mario Soldati was an influential Italian writer and filmmaker born in the early 1900s into a wealthy family in Turin. He initially pursued a degree in art history at the University of Turin and later studied at Columbia University in the United States, where he published his first collection of short stories. Soldati's literary career spanned multiple genres, including mystery and historical novels, with notable works such as "La verità sul caso Motta" and "Lo smeraldo," the latter being recognized for its complex dream sequence. In addition to his writing, Soldati had a significant impact on the film industry as a director and critic, with acclaimed films like "Piccolo mondo antico" and "Policarpo." His personal life included two marriages and a total of six children, and he lived in several Italian cities, including Rome and Milan. Throughout his career, Soldati received various prestigious awards for his contributions to both literature and cinema, highlighting his role as a prominent cultural figure in Italy. His works often reflect his Jesuit education and complex views on women and society, making him a notable figure in 20th-century Italian literature.
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Mario Soldati
Writer
- Born: November 17, 1906
- Birthplace: Turin, Italy
- Died: June 19, 1999
- Place of death: Tellaro, Italy
Biography
Mario Soldati was born to an established and wealthy family in Italy in the early 1900’s. Soldati grew up in the city of Turin, where he attended the Jesuit Istituto Sociale, an exclusive private school. While attending the school, Soldati expressed an interest in becoming a Jesuit priest, but was advised by members of the order to not make such a decision in haste. Soldati did eventually decide not to become a priest, but retained admiration for the Jesuits throughout his life.
In 1927, Soldati received a degree in art history from the University of Turin. He then entered the art history institute Istituto Superiore di Storia dell’Arte in Rome to further his studies. In 1929, Soldati came to America to attend Columbia University after winning a fellowship in art history. He also published his first collection of short stories, Salmace.
Soldati returned to Italy in 1941 and married Marion Rieckelman, a former student. They had three children together, but the marriage failed within three years. Soldati then married Giuliana Kellermann in 1941, with whom he had three children. The family lived in Rome before settling in Milan in 1960. Soldati spent years working in the motion-picture industry as a director, critic, and writer. His most notable cinematic works are 1941’s Piccolo mondo antico and 1959’s Policarpo.
Soldati published his first mystery novel, La verità sul caso Motta (the truth about the Motta case), as a serial in the magazine Omnibus in 1937. He released his next novel seventeen years later, Le lettere da Capri (The Capri Letters), to great success. Encouraged by the novel’s popularity, Soldati quickly released another one, the semiautobiographical La confessione (The Confession), which tells the tale of a disgruntled youth who hates women as a result of his religious upbringing.
Two years later, Soldati produced Il vero Silvestri (The Real Silvestri), a mystery in which the narrator attempts to uncover the true identity of his deceased friend. After a hiatus of several years, Soldati returned with the historical novelLe due città (The Malacca Cane), set between World War I and the 1960’s. This was followed by another semiautobiographical book, La busta arancione (The Orange Envelope), featuring a boy at a Jesuit school who suffers from a misogynistic attitude towards women.
Soldati’s next book, the mystery novel L’attore (the actor) was a national bestseller that received much critical acclaim. However, Soldati’s greatest work is considered to be Lo smeraldo (The Emerald), which is composed of a long, elaborate dream sequence that leaves the reader questioning what is reality and what is fantasy within the context of the novel. Soldati continued to write popular and well-received novels until the late 1990’s.
Soldati received a number of awards during his lifetime for his work in both film and literature, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for the comedy Policarpo, the Strega Prize for Le lettere da Capri, the Campiello Prize for L’attore, and the Naples Prize for La sposa americana (The American Bride, 1979).