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An Overview of Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936)

A hybrid cultural program (in person or virtual)
Presented by Francesco Bonavita
Tuesday, May 16 at 7 pm

Luigi Pirandello is considered a giant of modern Italian literature who transformed the concept of theatrical presentation since ancient Greece. A recipient of the Nobel Prize in 1934, Pirandello explored the complexity of human behavior who saw interactions among people, taking place through a variety of social masks that one is compelled to wear each day.

Pirandello believed that we are all actors who manage to externalize our behavior in an accepted social norm, but sometimes we fail miserably in exhibiting our true selves. In addition, Pirandello showed that the concept of truth is a relative factor and, as such, it makes up an essential leitmotif of his narrative.

Indeed, the main object of his work is to show that everyone struggles understanding the notion of truth, as everyone tries to show what each believes is true, the results of which are comical, sad and even dramatic.

The degree to which he influenced the world of performing arts is incalculable. Suffice to say that the Rashomon phenomenon – coined by the Japanese film maker Akiro Kurosawa for bringing out the relativity of truth on the screen – could not have possible without Pirandello’s ideas.

Join us as we explore the personality of Pirandello, his narrative and his theatrical invention.