Giovanna Bemporad: Poetessa, traduttrice e amica di Pasolini

Giovanna Bemporad (Ferrara, 1928 – Roma, 2013) was an Italian poet and translator, recognized for her close friendship with Pier Paolo Pasolini, who affectionately called her 'Giovannona' while they taught together at the Scuola Popolare di Casarsa during World War II. She first published her poetry under the pseudonym Giovanna Bembo in the magazine Il setaccio. Coming from a wealthy Jewish family, she attended the Galvani classical high school in Bologna and engaged with intellectuals like Leone Traverso, Carlo Izzo, and Mario Praz. At 13, she translated the Aeneid in 36 nights, and by 15, her Homer translations replaced those of Salvatore Quasimodo in the Antologia dell'Epica. She left her studies to pursue poetry, living in poverty in Venice. Her work Esercizi was published in 1948, showcasing translations from various authors, including Homer, Sappho, Baudelaire, and Rilke, along with the Cantico dei cantici (2006). In 1957, she married future minister Giulio Orlando, with Giuseppe Ungaretti as a witness. The exhibition 'Pier Paolo Pasolini. Tutto è santo' at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome highlights her significant role alongside Pasolini.