The Modern Novel

Biography

Michele Prisco was born in 1920, the youngest of eleven children, in Torre Annunziata, a town at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. His father was a lawyer. He graduated from the University of Naples in law and published his first story the same year. After his military service, he continued to write stories as well as other articles for the press. He published his first collection of stories in 1949 and it won the Strega Prize. His first novel – Gli eredi del vento (Heirs of the Wind) – was published the following year. The year after, he married and moved to Naples where he spent the rest of his life. He continued to be involved with various newspapers and magazines. In particular, he published an article in the first issue of the Naples magazine, Le ragioni narrative, in which he condemned the French nouveau roman and praised more traditional writers. His novels have followed this line, often dealing with the decline in morals post-war as well as people struggling with their own personal issues. He died in 2003.

Other links

Michele Prisco
Michele Prisco (in Italian)