Paolo Giordano

Paolo Giordano was born in 1982 in the Italian city of Turin and completed a degree in physics at the local university. Giordano discovered writing during his preparation for upcoming exams at the age of 22. He initially wrote several short stories, which mostly dealt with the theme of childhood. In 2008, he published his first novel, »La solitudine dei numeri primi« (2008; Eng. »The Solitude of Prime Numbers«), which brought him an instant, sensational breakthrough as a writer. The work was the best-selling book in Italy in the year of its release. At its core, it is a coming-of-age novel and a love story. Both protagonists are shaped by a singular event in their childhood that has made them outsiders. Their solitude offers them protection from society and from themselves. As teenagers at high school, they get to know each other and feel attracted to each other – but like twin prime numbers (for example, 11 and 13), they stand close together, yet there is always something separating them. In poetic, clear language, Giordano repeatedly finds impressive images for how the dramas of our childhood continue to affect us. His literary influences include writers like David Foster Wallace and Ian McEwan, who – according to Giordano – stood as a godfather to the author’s exploration of the theme of childhood in his work on childhood, loss, and quantum physics entitled »The Child in Time« (1987). Giordano was awarded the Premio Strega, Italy’s most prestigious literary prize, among other things, for his debut novel. »Il corpo umano« (2012; Eng. »The Human Body«) depicts how young soldiers try to find their way in their homeland, which has become alien to them after a deployment in Afghanistan. »Il nero e l’argento« (2014; Eng. »Like Family«) deals with the relationship of a couple where, according to the color theory of the Greek scholar Galenos, the black of melancholy meets the silver of cheerfulness. In »Nel contagio« (2020; Eng. »How Contagion Works«), Giordano describes his experiences in the state of societal emergency during the Corona pandemic and the fragility of Western civilization. »Tasmania« (2022) is a novel about the future and the fear of losing control. The crisis it narrates affects not just a couple, or a generation, but the world and our planet.

Giordano obtained his PhD in theoretical physics/particle physics at the University of Turin in 2010. He also writes journalistic texts and screenplays. The author lives in Turin.

Die Einsamkeit der Primzahlen

Karl Blessing
München, 2009
[Ü: Bruno Genzler]

Der menschliche Körper

Rowohlt
Reinbek, 2012
[Ü: Barbara Kleiner]

Schwarz und Silber

Rowohlt
Reinbek, 2015
[Ü: Barbara Kleiner]

Den Himmel stürmen

Rowohlt
Reinbek, 2018
[Ü: Barbara Kleiner]

In Zeiten der Ansteckung

Wie die Corona-Pandemie unser Leben verändert
Rowohlt
Reinbek, 2020
[Ü: Barbara Kleiner]

Tasmanien

Suhrkamp
Berlin, 2023
[Ü: Barbara Kleiner]