Flavio Soriga
Flavio Soriga was born in Uta, a little village near Cagliari on the island of Sardinia in 1975. He studied Journalism and Media Technology in Rome and Madrid, and subsequently worked for regional TV stations, where he was in charge of programme selection.
For his debut novel »Diavoli di Nuraiò« (2000; tr.: The devils of Nuraiò) he was awarded the renowned Italo Calvino Prize, which has been bestowed on young writers since 1985. His second novel »Neropioggia« (2002; tr.: Black rain) received excellent reviews from the critics and the Premio Grazia Deledda. It has been translated into several languages. The story, which tells of the mysterious murder of a young woman who apparently leads a life without any problems – is, as in Soriga’s first book, set in the Sardinian village of Nuraiò. He sensitively depicts the characters of the village dwellers, and creates a dense, suffocating atmosphere. The narrative is characterized by melancholy and sequestration, and a mood which is clearly also influenced by the rain, which does not seem to stop: »black and violent the rain, black the pavement, the asphalt, the houses slippery and wet, black the memories, the thoughts, his lost heart of a murderer, black the sky, the moon disappeared, nobody knows where to, black the tears that had begun to fall, black the world, black as the rain, everything black«. These poetic and, above all, breathless lines are Soriga’s prelude to the novel and reveal, in a condensed form, his special sense of the rhythm of the language and the lyrical approach of his prose. In his next book »Sardinia Blues« (2007) he once again portrays his island, and at the same time the adventures of three lovers. In eight short stories in his anthology »L’amore a Londra e in altri luoghi« (2009; tr.: Love in London and elsewhere) the typical Sardinian setting Soriga had chosen previously is less present. These are short stories of well-tested lives far from home. The writer’s tone, however, is still authentic, emotional and elegant in the wording. The Italian author, it seems, interprets his credo of style and theme according to the epigraph he chooses for this collection: a line from Leonard Cohen’s song »Dance me to the end of love«.
Soriga also writes for the daily newspapers »La Nuova Sardegna« and »L’Unità«, and for various magazines. He is, furthermore, the Artistic Director of the poetry festival »Settembre dei Poeti« in the small municipality of Seneghe on the west coast of Sardinia. Occasionally, he works as a lecturer, too, most recently in a creative writing workshop of La Sapienza University. Soriga lives in Rome today.
© internationales literaturfestival berlin
Der schwarze Regen
Luchterhand Literaturverlag
München, 2007
[Ü: Michael von Killisch-Horn]
Sardinia Blues
Bompiani
Mailand, 2007
Die Liebe in London und anderswo
Luchterhand Literaturverlag
München, 2009
[Ü: Viktoria von Schirach]
Il cuore dei briganti
Bompiani
Mailand, 2010
NuraGhe Beach
Laterza
Rom/Bari, 2011