Guglielmo Petroni: From Painter to Writer, a Life Between Art and Resistance

Guglielmo Petroni, who lived from 1911 to 1993, was born in Lucca. At the age of thirteen, he began his career in his father's shoe store but was drawn to art, inspired by friends such as Gaetano Scapecchi and Giuseppe Ardinghi. A devastating fire in 1931 led to the loss of his artworks, prompting a shift towards literature. He became a member of the Solaria literary group, where he formed friendships with Elio Vittorini and Eugenio Montale. In 1935, he released his debut poetry collection, Versi e memoria. He co-founded La Ruota in 1939 and participated in the Resistance during WWII, being arrested on May 2, 1944, and rescued by the liberation of Rome on June 4. His prominent works include Il mondo è una prigione (1949), La morte del fiume (1974), which earned the Strega Prize, and Il nome delle parole (1984).