Andrea Bajani (born August 16, 1975 in Rome) is an Italian writer and journalist . Bajani won the Mondello Prize (ex aequo with Antonio Scurati, Flavio Soriga and Luca Giachi) in 2008 for his novel Se consideri le colpe (If you consider the faults), written in 2007; in 2008 he has also won the Brancati Prize—with Massimo Onofri and Franco Loi. In March 2011 it was announced that Bajani had won the 2011 Bagutta Prize for his novel Ogni Promessa (to be published in English as Every Promise by MacLehose Press).
Bajani was born in Rome. While he was still very young, the family moved to Cuneo, later to Piemont, and then to Turin, where he presently resides. In 2002 Bajani published his first novel, Morto un papa (A Pope is Dead), and in 2003 his second novel, Qui non ci sono perdenti (There aren't losers here). His third novel, Cordiali Saluti (Cordial Waves), written in 2005, was a success, so he started to write novels based on the lives of average Italian workers. In 2006 he wrote a reportage called Mi spezzo ma non m’impiego (I break, but I don't bend) – an Italian workers' motto – about the uncertainties facing Italian workers. It was published by Einaudi.
Se consideri le colpe
In a January 2009 speech at the Dante Alighiere High School (on Ennio Quirinio Visconti Street in Rome), Bajani told the students that he began contemplating his most famous novel (Se consideri le colpe) when he visited Ancona. He said the title was inspired by a phrase from the book of Psalms in the Bible. Lorenzo, the tale protagonist, goes to Bucarest for his mother's funeral; during this time, he tries to understand how his mother had lived in Bucarest - where she went with her lover after having left him and her second husband - and he tries to forgive her, without considering the faults. Bajani wrote this novel between Genoa, where he went for holiday, and Bucarest. He has won the Mondello Prize, the Recanati Prize and also the Brancati Prize for it in 2008; during the award ceremony an Italian literary critic said that the novel appeared to have been written by a female author, due to its humanity and sensitivity.
Domani niente scuola
In 2008 Bajani published Domani niente scuola (Tomorrow no school), a tale of Italian students on a field trip. In a December 2008 symposium at Dante Lyceum, Bajani stated that he traveled to Prague and Paris with three high school classes to understand "how really the students are nowadays". "It was really funny", he concluded.
Lidia Ravera, another participant in the symposium, said of the novel:
There is a chasm between my generation and the new generation, but the youthful protest is even alive and dangerous for the powers that be".
Morto un papa (Dead a Pope)(Portofranco, 2002)
Qui non ci sono perdenti (There aren't losers here)(PeQuod, 2003)
Cordiali saluti (Cordial Waves)(Einaudi, 2005)
Mi spezzo ma non m'impiego (I break, but I don't bend)(Einaudi, 2006)
Se consideri le colpe (If you consider the faults)(Einaudi, 2007)
Domani niente scuola (Tomorrow no school)(Einaudi, 2008)
Ogni Promessa (Every Promise)(Einaudi, 2010)
Narrative
Morto un papa (Portofranco, 2002) ISBN 88-87952-17-5
Qui non ci sono perdenti (peQuod, 2003) ISBN 88-87418-63-2
Cordiali saluti (Einaudi, 2005) ISBN 88-06-17297-2
Cordiali saluti (Prefazione di Ascanio Celestini) (Einaudi, 2005) ISBN 88-06-19162-4
Se consideri le colpe (Einaudi, 2007) ISBN 978-88-06-18719-4
Se consideri le colpe (Einaudi, 2009) ISBN 9788806196578
Ogni promessa (Einaudi, 2010) ISBN 978-88-06-20020-6
Presente (con Michela Murgia, Paolo Nori e Giorgio Vasta) (Einaudi, 2012) ISBN 978-88-06-20945-2
La mosca e il funerale (Nottetempo, 2012) ISBN 978-88-745-23542
Mi riconosci (Feltrinelli, 2013) ISBN 978-88-07-01943-2
Editions in other languages
Très cordialement trad. Vincent Raynaud (Éditions du Panama, 2005) ISBN 2-7557-0101-3
Si tu retiens les fautes trad. Vincent Raynaud (Editions Gallimard, 2009) ISBN 978-2-07-012366-7
Toutes les familles trad. Vincent Raynaud (Editions Gallimard, 2013) ISBN 9782070135035
Mit herzlichen Grüßen (Mit einem Nachwort von Ascanio Celestini) (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2010) ISBN 978-3-423-24793-1
Lorenzos Reise (dtv premium, ) ISBN 978-3-423-24866-2
Liebe und andere Versprechen (dtv premium, ) ISBN 978-3-423-24918-8
Liebe und andere Versprechen (dtv eBook, ) ISBN 978-3-423-41355-8
Every Promise trad. Alistair McEwen (MacLehose Press, Jun 2013) ISBN 9780857051479
De belofte Dutch Trad.Yond Boeke, Patty Krone (Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep) ISBN 9789025368814
Wie houdt dan stand? Dutch Trad.Yond Boeke, Patty Krone (Athenaeum-Polak & Van Gennep, 2010) ISBN 9 789025367015
Stories in collections
Paolino e la vita di città in Opere d'inchiostro (Rubettino,1999) ISBN 88-7284-824-5
Vicini in Lettere in-chiostro (Edictions, 1999) ISBN 88-87376-08-5
Il cielo dell'Africa è più grande che qui in Questa è l'Africa (Edizioni dell'Arco, 2004) ISBN 88-7876-004-8
Storia di un altro impiegato in Deandreide (BUR, 2006) ISBN 88-17-00952-0
All inclusive in Laboriosi oroscopi (Ediesse, 2006) ISBN 978-88-230-1151-9
La data scritta in fondo in 1987/2007 I venti racconti + uno (Edizione speciale per Marie Claire, 2007)
Forse si muore così in Mordi&Fuggi (Manni, 2007) ISBN 978-88-8176-936-0
Grattacapo voce in Dizionario affettivo della lingua italiana (Fandango, 2008) ISBN 978-88-6044-065-5
Non ci sono più le Vespe di una volta in ho visto cose (BUR, 2008) ISBN 978-88-17-02094-7
Il quarto strato in Le nuove ricette del cuore (Blu Edizioni, 2008) ISBN 978-88-7904-062-4
Andirivieni in Pene d'amore (Guanda, 2008) ISBN 978-88-6088-406-0
La morte di Babbo Natale in Natale sotto la Mole (interlinea, 2008) ISBN 978-88-8212-649-0
Tanto si doveva in Lavoro da morire. Racconti di un'Italia sfruttata", di AA.VV. (Einaudi, 2009) ISBN 978-88-06-19649-3
A scuola sotto le macerie in Consiglio di classe (Ediesse, 2009) ISBN 978-88-230-1380-3
Reportage
Mi spezzo ma non m'impiego (Einaudi, 2006) ISBN 88-06-18072-X
Domani niente scuola (Einaudi, 2008) ISBN 978-88-06-19415-4
Other
Scrivere non è importante, ma non si può fare altro in Il valore letterario nel romanzo del Novecento europeo – i quaderni del Baretti (Gribaudo, 2000) ISBN 9788880581321
Il grande spot in Scrivere sul fronte occidentale (Feltrinelli, 2002) ISBN 88-07-49019-6
Un tempo era il lavoro in Italia. Immagini e storia1945-2005 – 3. Il lavoro (volume supplement in the Unit)
Parole a maglia in Annali 2007/III - Fondazione europea del disegno (Fondation Adami) (Bruno Mondadori, Ricerca, 2007) ISBN 9788861590519
Prefazione a Venaria città reale by Ornella Orlandini (EGA Editore, Collana Immagini, 2008) ISBN 978-88-76706-89-9
chi non muore si rivede racconto per il Natale 2008 by In Adv, Media By Design, Ineditha, Dgt Media. Volume stampato in trecento copie numerate.
Tutti i bambini del mondo in la figlia di Isacco by Valerio Berruti (Damiano Editore, 2009) ISBN 978-88-6208-122-1
Postfazione a Dal Comunismo al Consumismo by Mihai Butcovan - Marco Belli (La Carmelina Edizioni-Linea BN, ) ISBN 9788896437049
Translations
sono un assassino (Je suis un assassin, Éditions du Rocher, 2002) by Laurent Graeve (Instar Libri, 2003) ISBN 88-461-0048-4
Clima di paura (Climate of Fear, Profil Books Ltd., 2004) by Wole Soyinka ( with Mariapaola Pierini) (Codice edizioni, 2005) ISBN 88-7578-017-X
Theatre
Acqua-Storie da un pianeta assetato, with Mariapaola Pierini, Produced Onda Teatro, 2003
Miserabili - Io e Margareth Thatcher, with Marco Paolini-Lorenzo Monguzzi-Michela Signori, produzione Michela Signori per JOLEFILM, 2007 (the show is also distributed on DVD and music on CD)
“18.000 giorni” Il pitone, Produced Fuorivia and Teatro Stabile di Torino, 2010
Prize
Premio Mondello, Mondello Super Prize 2008Brancati Prize 2008Recanati Prize 2008The Stranger Award 2008Bagutta Prize 2011
