Luigi Spagnol, Publisher and Painter, Dies at 59

Luigi Spagnol, the Italian publisher who brought Harry Potter and Luis Sepúlveda to Italy, died on June 14 at age 59. Spagnol was also a painter, producing works on copper and lava stone. His only exhibition was at Galleria Reale in Brescia, with a catalog introduction by critic David Carrier. He painted intensively in his final months, working in a new studio and creating portraits and self-portraits. Spagnol was known for his editorial intuition, acquiring rights to the Harry Potter series and making Sepúlveda's 'Storia di una gabbianella' a bestseller. He also wrote for the magazine Tema Celeste and played piano. The article, written by his friend Demetrio Paparoni, recounts their friendship and Spagnol's critical feedback on Paparoni's novel, which he rejected as 'the equivalent of a landscape painted with faded colors.' Spagnol's paintings remain untitled and unsigned.