Stefano Cristante's Book on Andrea Pazienza Published by Mimesis

Sociologist Stefano Cristante, a professor of Communication Sociology at the University of Salento, has authored "Andrea Pazienza e l’arte del fuggiasco" (Mimesis, 2017). The book examines the life and work of Andrea Pazienza, a pioneering Italian cartoonist and illustrator born in San Severo (Foggia) who moved to Pescara for art school and later to Bologna in 1974. Cristante reconstructs Pazienza's career through rigorous textual analysis, focusing on his characters like Pentothal, Zanardi, and Pompeo, and his influences including Arp, Duchamp, Man Ray, Breton, Pistoletto, Manzoni, and Mondrian. The volume lacks illustrations, forcing readers to engage solely with Cristante's sociological, artistic, and historical perspective. Pazienza, who died prematurely in 1988, is contextualized within the Transavanguardia movement and the student activism of 1970s Bologna. The book includes a long excerpt from Pazienza previously published in "Tutto Pazienza" by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso. Cristante's personal admiration for Pazienza is evident in the preface. The 205-page paperback costs €16.