Alberto Arbasino dies at 90: Renato Barilli remembers the Italian writer and critic

Alberto Arbasino, the Italian writer, literary critic, and intellectual, has died. He was 90. Renato Barilli, a fellow critic and friend, wrote a remembrance published on Artribune. Barilli traces Arbasino's career from his debut in the 1950s, noting his early association with Pier Paolo Pasolini and Giovanni Testori, whom he soon surpassed. Arbasino became a key figure of the Neoavanguardia and Gruppo 63, embracing pop culture and consumer society in his work, notably in 'Fratelli d'Italia'. Barilli highlights Arbasino's lightness, quantitative extension, and citational style, exemplified by 'Super Eliogabalo'. Later in life, Arbasino engaged with rap music and Twitter, maintaining his audacious, boundary-crossing spirit until the end.