Italian writer and activist Michela Murgia dies at 51

Michela Murgia, the Sardinian intellectual, writer, and activist, died in Rome at age 51. She had publicly announced in May 2023 that she was battling stage 4 renal carcinoma, a recurrence of a 2014 diagnosis. In her final year, she reorganized her life: bought a home for her 'queer family,' adopted a son, and married actor and director Lorenzo Terenzi, whom she described as a patriarchal tool. She also fulfilled a dream trip on the Orient Express. Born in Cabras on June 3, 1972, Murgia worked various jobs before becoming a writer. She was politically active, supporting Mario Adinolfi in 2007, the Sardinian independence movement iRS, and later ProgReS. In 2014 she ran for president of Sardinia, finishing third. She supported the Sinistra list in the 2019 European elections and criticized the Meloni government as fascist. In 2019 she was ordered to pay €18,000 for breach of contract with publisher Il Maestrale. Her literary output includes bestseller 'Accabadora' (2014), winner of the Campiello, Dessì, and SuperMondello prizes; 'Morgana' series with Chiara Tagliaferri; and pamphlets like 'Stai zitta' (2021). She also wrote 'Istruzioni per diventare fascisti' (2018) and 'Tre ciotole' (2023) about her illness. Her relationship with the Catholic Church was complex; in 2023 she met Pope Francis with a copy of Vanity Fair about queer families. She received the Chevalière des Arts et des Lettres from French Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak in 2023.