Stefano Benni (12 August 1947 – 9 September 2025) was an Italian satirical writer, poet and journalist. His books have been translated into around 20 foreign languages and scored notable commercial success. 2.5 million copies of his books have been sold in Italy.

Life and career

Benni wrote many successful novels and anthologies, among which are Bar Sport, Elianto, Terra!, La compagnia dei celestini, Baol, Comici spaventati guerrieri, Saltatempo, Margherita Dolcevita and Il bar sotto il mare.

He also worked with the weekly magazines L'espresso and Panorama, and with the satirical Cuore and Tango, the monthly magazines Linus and Il Mago (where he began and published in installments part of Bar Sport), and the newspapers La Repubblica and il manifesto.

He also wrote television sketches for Beppe Grillo at the beginning of Grillo's career, and one of these sketches – called "Pietro Longo=P2" – caused the Psdi to ask the RAI commission to remove Grillo from RAI TV; their request was denied.

In 1989, with Umberto Angelucci, Benni directed the film Musica per vecchi animali, adapted from his book Comici spaventati guerrieri, with the actors Dario Fo, Paolo Rossi, and Viola Simoncioni. Two years before that he was also the screenwriter of another film, Topo Galileo by Francesco Laudadio, starring his friend Beppe Grillo and with music by Fabrizio De André and Mauro Pagani.

With the jazz musician Umberto Petrin, he wrote Misterioso. Viaggio nel silenzio di Thelonius Monk.

His novels contain, within imaginary worlds and situations, a strong satire of Italian society over the last few decades. His writing style includes many puns, neologisms and parodies of other literary styles.

In January and February 2010, he presented the event Bennac, a meeting between himself and the French writer Daniel Pennac.

Benni died in Bologna on 9 September 2025 after a long illness, at the age of 78.

Bibliography

  • Bar Sport, Milano, Mondadori (1976); Feltrinelli, 1997. ISBN 88-07-81434-X
  • Prima o poi l'amore arriva (1981)
  • Terra! (1983), translated into English by Annapaola Cancogni (1985) (Pantheon Books) ISBN 88-07-04003-4
  • Stranalandia (1984)
  • Comici spaventati guerrieri (1986) ISBN 88-07-01316-9
  • Il bar sotto il mare (1987)
  • Baol (1990) ISBN 88-07-01409-2
  • Ballate (1991)
  • La compagnia dei Celestini (1992) ISBN 88-07-01446-7
  • L'ultima lacrima (1994)
  • Elianto (1996)
  • Bar Sport Duemila (1997)
  • Blues in sedici (1998)
  • Teatro (1999)
  • Spiriti (2000)
  • Dottor Niù, corsivi diabolici per tragedie evitabili (2001)
  • Saltatempo (2001), translated into English by Antony Shugaar as Timeskipper (2008)
  • Achille pie' veloce (2003)
  • Margherita Dolcevita (2005)
  • Misterioso : viaggio nel silenzio di Thelonious Monk (2005) (includes DVD)
  • La grammatica di Dio (2007)
  • Pane e Tempesta (2009)
  • Le Beatrici (2011)
  • La Traccia dell'Angelo (2011)
  • Di tutte le ricchezze (2012)
  • La bottiglia magica (2016)
  • Prendiluna (2017)
  • Giura (2020)<!--These translations, if notable, should be listed after the original italian publication dates above: **qwert, (Slobbovian translation) (1999)

Translations

Catalan

  • El bar sota la mar, 2005
  • Margherita Dolcevita, 2006

Czech

  • Časoskokan, 2003
  • Podivínsko, 2003

Danish

  • Terra!, 1986
  • To forskrækkede krigere, 1988
  • Baol : en rolig nat under regimet, 1991
  • Stjerneholdet, 1994
  • Elianto, 1997
  • En ganske særlig dag i april, 1997
  • Ånder, 2002

Dutch

  • De snelvoetige Achilles

English

  • Margherita Dolce Vita (tran by Anthony Shugaar) 2005 Europa
  • English translation of Achille piè veloce [FORTHCOMING]
  • Marcello Jori: The Wonderful City of Extraordinary Artists (bilingual edition)

Finnish

  • Baol
  • Elianto
  • Keplo
  • Achille piè veloce [FORTHCOMING]

French

  • Terra!
  • La dernière larme : nouvelles, 1996
  • Hélianthe, 1997
  • Le bar sous la mer, 2001
  • Achille piè veloce
  • La Compagnie des Célestins, 2006

Galician

  • A derradeira bágoa, 2000

German

  • Terra!, 1985
  • Die Bar auf dem Meeresgrund. Unterwassergeschichten, 1992
  • Baol. Die magischen Abenteuer einer fieberhaften Samstagnacht, 1992
  • Es gibt keine schlechten Menschen, sagte der Bär, wenn sie gut zubereitet sind, 1999
  • Die letzte Träne, 2000
  • Komische erschrockene Krieger, 2000
  • Geister, 2001
  • Der Zeitenspringer, 2004
  • Der schnellfüssige Achilles, 2006
  • Margherita Dolcevita [FORTHCOMING]

Lithuanian

  • Baras po jūra

Persian

  • Il bar sotto il mare

and many more..

Portuguese

  • Terra!
  • Baol

Spanish

  • ¡Tierra!
  • La cofradía de los celestinos
  • Baol
  • Cómicos guerreros despavoridos
  • La última lágrima

Turkish

  • Turkish translation of Il bar sotto il mare

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Works in English

  • Terra, Pantheon Books, New York, 1985.
  • Timeskipper, translator Antony Shugaar, Europa Editions, New York, 2008.
  • Margherita Dolce Vita, translator Antony Shugaar, Europa Editions, New York, 2008.
  • The story of Cyrano de Bergerac, Pushkin Children's Books, London, 2014.

References

  • Official website (Italian)
  • "The Story of First-Aid and Beauty Case"