Paolo Cognetti (born 27 January 1978) is an Italian writer and filmmaker, winner of the 2017 Strega Prize.
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Biography
Born in Milan, he initially studied mathematics at university, but quit to enroll at Milan's film-making school Civica Scuola di Cinema «Luchino Visconti», where he graduated in 1999.
His first work as a writer was the short story Fare ordine; he then published various collections of short stories.
In 2016, he published his first novel The Eight Mountains which earned him the Strega Prize, Italy′s most prestigious literary award, as well as various international awards, such as the Prix Médicis étranger, the Prix François Sommer, and the English Pen Translates Award. It was adapted in 2022 to a film of the same name.
He has dedicated various books and documentaries to New York City, a city he visits frequently. A keen hiker and lover of the mountains, he lives in the Alps for a few months every year.
Works
Fare ordine. [Genere: storia d'amore; 1 racconto da 5 fermate], Milan, 2003
Manuale per ragazze di successo, Minimum Fax, Rome, 2004
Una cosa piccola che sta per esplodere, Minimum Fax, Rome, 2007
Sofia si veste sempre di nero, Minimum Fax, Rome, 2012
Il nuotatore, with Mara Cerri, Rome, 2013
Le otto montagne (The Eight Mountains), Einaudi, Turin, 2016
La felicità del Lupo, (The Lovers), Einaudi, Turin, 2021
Giù nella valle, Einaudi, Turin, 2023
Essays
New York è una finestra senza tende, 2010
Il ragazzo selvatico. Quaderno di montagna, (The Wild Boy: A Memoir), Milan, 2013
A pesca nelle pozze più profonde, Roma, 2014
Tutte le mie preghiere guardano verso ovest, 2014
Senza mai arrivare in cima, (Without Ever Reaching the Summit: A Journey), Turin, Einaudi, 2018
L'Antonia. Poesie, lettere e fotografie di Antonia Pozzi scelte e raccontate da Paolo Cognetti, Milan, Ponte alle Grazie, 2021.
Filmography
Vietato scappare (1999)
Isbam (2000)
Box (2001)
Tango (2001)
Cameracar (2002)
Scrivere/New York, 2004
Sogni di Grande Nord, 2021
The Eight Mountains, 2022 (story)
Fiore mio, 2024
