Pier Paolo Pasolini

The other day a post by erastes make me think to Pier Paolo Pasolini, and I'm wondering how many people outside Italy know him.

I always say that in Italy there isn't a real "gay" culture: we don't have movies or books about M/M relationships; people who are gay often hide it, or makes coming out only when they are enough important or rich to not bother.

But 40 years ago we have in Italy a man, a poet, a director, a writer, a journalist that openly admited that he was gay. His name was Pier Paolo Pasolini. He was born in March 5, 1922, in Bologna, Italy. He was son of a militar and he began to work as a teacher. When people knew he was gay, he was fired and he went in Rome. Here he continued his career as journalist and writer. He has written 13 novels, 20 anthology of poems and directed 22 movies.

In two of his novels, "Ragazzi di vita" and "Una vita violenta" he has written the stories of the street boys of Rome, after the WWII. Same story that he has directed in his first film "Accattone" (people said that the main character, Franco Citti, was his lover). Then in "Mamma Roma" he has told the story of a roman whore, Mamma Roma, who wants to give a better life to her only son (Mamma Roma was the wonderful italian actress Anna Magnani, Oscar Winner). In "Il vangelo secondo Matteo" he has told his version of the Jesus Christ story. Then the greek dramas of "Edipo Re" and "Medea" (and Medea was the soprano Maria Callas). And then "Teorema" with Terence Stamp. Finally the transposition of "Il Decameron" by Boccaccio, "I racconti di Canterbury (Canterbury Tales) by Chaucher, "Il fiore delle Mille e una notte" and "Salò o le centoventi giornate di Sodoma" by De Sade.

He was beaten to death on November 2, 1975 alongside a seashore. Police said the murderer was a sixteen years hustler, but this guy always claims him innocent and the friends of Pasolini says that it was a political murder, cause Pasolini's voice was to loud for some people... I don't know, I always know that we have lost a genius.

Pier Paolo Pasolini

The other day a post by erastes make me think to Pier Paolo Pasolini, and I'm wondering how many people outside Italy know him.

I always say that in Italy there isn't a real "gay" culture: we don't have movies or books about M/M relationships; people who are gay often hide it, or makes coming out only when they are enough important or rich to not bother.

But 40 years ago we have in Italy a man, a poet, a director, a writer, a journalist that openly admited that he was gay. His name was Pier Paolo Pasolini. He was born in March 5, 1922, in Bologna, Italy. He was son of a militar and he began to work as a teacher. When people knew he was gay, he was fired and he went in Rome. Here he continued his career as journalist and writer. He has written 13 novels, 20 anthology of poems and directed 22 movies.

In two of his novels, "Ragazzi di vita" and "Una vita violenta" he has written the stories of the street boys of Rome, after the WWII. Same story that he has directed in his first film "Accattone" (people said that the main character, Franco Citti, was his lover). Then in "Mamma Roma" he has told the story of a roman whore, Mamma Roma, who wants to give a better life to her only son (Mamma Roma was the wonderful italian actress Anna Magnani, Oscar Winner). In "Il vangelo secondo Matteo" he has told his version of the Jesus Christ story. Then the greek dramas of "Edipo Re" and "Medea" (and Medea was the soprano Maria Callas). And then "Teorema" with Terence Stamp. Finally the transposition of "Il Decameron" by Boccaccio, "I racconti di Canterbury (Canterbury Tales) by Chaucher, "Il fiore delle Mille e una notte" and "Salò o le centoventi giornate di Sodoma" by De Sade.

He was beaten to death on November 2, 1975 alongside a seashore. Police said the murderer was a sixteen years hustler, but this guy always claims him innocent and the friends of Pasolini says that it was a political murder, cause Pasolini's voice was to loud for some people... I don't know, I always know that we have lost a genius.