Maria Luisa Spaziani: The Forgotten Poetess and Nobel Candidate

Born in Turin, Maria Luisa Spaziani (1922-2014) was an Italian poet and translator. At the age of twenty, she established the poetry magazine Quaderni del girasole, which later became known as Il dado, showcasing writers such as Mario Luzi and Umberto Saba. Notably, the first chapter of Virginia Woolf's The Waves appeared in its pages. She earned her degree in French literature from the University of Turin. On January 14, 1949, she met Eugenio Montale in Turin, leading to a profound relationship recorded at the University of Pavia. In 1953, she released her debut anthology, Le acque del sabato, and in 1969, she took on a teaching role at the University of Palermo. Spaziani received three nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature and had a Meridiano devoted to her work in 2012.