Alessandro Baricco is an Italian writer, director, and performer. He was born on January 25, 1958. His name is pronounced "ale-SAN-dro ba-REE-koh" in Italian. His novels have been translated into many languages.

Early life, family and education

Baricco was born in Turin, Italy. He received degrees in philosophy (studied under Gianni Vattimo) and in piano.

Career

Baricco wrote articles about music, including Il genio in fuga (1988) about Gioachino Rossini and L'anima di Hegel e le mucche del Wisconsin ("Hegel's Soul and the Cows of Wisconsin," 1992) about music and modern life. He later worked as a music critic for La Repubblica and La Stampa and hosted discussion programs on Rai Tre.

He began writing novels in 1991 with Castelli di rabbia, translated as Lands of Glass.

In 1993, he helped start a writing school in Turin called Scuola Holden, named after J. D. Salinger’s character Holden Caulfield. The school offers classes on writing techniques, such as screenwriting, journalism, novels, and short stories.

His books became popular in Europe, selling many copies in Italy and France. His fame increased further when his play Novecento was turned into the film The Legend of 1900, directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

He also worked with the French band Air to release City Reading, a mix of the band’s music and his reading of his novel City.

Baricco directed the film Lezione 21, which is about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

Personal life

Baricco lives in his hometown, Turin. He has two sons. He and his girlfriend, Gloria Campaner, live together. In January 2022, Baricco said he had been diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.