Science Fiction and Secrets. Dino Buzzati's Novella „Il grande ritratto“

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For Tatiana Trouvé, Dino Buzzati’s Il grande ritratto (1960) contains an idea of secret as a place of exile. The science fiction novella of the Italian master of contemporary literature has been the main source of inspiration for Trouvé’s monumental installation in the Kunsthaus Graz.

In his lecture, Werner Helmich, Professor em. of Romance studies, will reveal all secrets of the author whose literary work is located between magic realism, fantasy and social alienation. Come and find out!

Dino Buzzati
Born 1906 in San Pellegrino (IT), died 1972 in Milan (IT)
After completing his law studies and military service, Buzzati was taken on by the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, and remained with the newspaper as chief editor (except during World War II, when he was a war correspondent in North Africa and Sicily) until his death. Alongside his writing work, Buzzati also painted, drew and designed stage sets.
Works (selection): Il deserto dei Tartari, novel 1940 (The Tartar Steppe, trsl. Stuart Hood, 1952); La famosa invasione degli orsi in Sicilia, children’s book 1945 (The Bears‘ Famous Invasion of Sicily, trsl. Frances Lobb 2005); La rivolta contro i poveri, play 1946; Sessanta racconti, short stories 1958; La demolizione del vecchio albergo, short stories 1958; Lascia o raddoppia, story, 1960.
 

Werner Helmich
Professor emeritus for Romance Studies / Literature Studies at Karl-Franzens-University Graz
Romance Studies, German Studies and Philosophy in Frankfurt a. M. and Lyon; Teaching at the universities of Regensburg, Frankfurt a. M. and Mainz
- Research focus:
Late-medieval drama, romance and German-language aphoristics, more recent romance narrative literature, the poetics of reviews, multi-language literature
- Publications:
Allegorie im französischen Theater des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts (1976), Moralités, 3 Vol. (1980), Der moderne französische Aphorismus (1991), numerous scholarly articles on French, Spanish and Italian literature as well as reviews; editor of specialist literature