«Je suis encore vivant!»

Notes on Carmelo Bene’s Caligola

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/mimesis.2631
Keywords: Carmelo Bene, Albert Camus, Italian Theatre, French Literature, Caligula

Abstract

The Italian actor, film director and thinker, Carmelo Bene (1937-2002) is one of the greatest figures of Italian theatre of the XXth century. Bene made his debut in Albert Camus’ Caligula in 1959 and later presented two other versions of the play: a recital in Florence (1960) and a second edition staged in Genova in 1961, which had been until now neglected by the critic. The article focuses on the three editions of Caligula and although Bene’s later rejected the early years of his activity, it argues that it is instead possible to establish a continuity between the beginning of his career and his mature productions.

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Author Biography

Carlo Alberto Petruzzi, University of Reading

Carlo Alberto Petruzzi is a PhD candidate in Italian Studies at the University of Reading. His research interests include Italian and French literature, opera, and theatre. He authored the volume Carmelo Bene: una bibliografia (1959–2018), which was awarded the “Carmelo Bene prize” by the City of Campi Salentina and recently edited I miei film con Carmelo Bene by Mario Masini. Petruzzi translated into Italian works by Guillaume Apollinaire and the Goncourt brothers and founded Italian Opera Librettos with Precise Word-by-Word Translation, the first book series of opera librettos translated in Chinese. His writing has appeared in «California Italian Studies», «Italica», «Mimesis Journal» and «Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies».

Published
2023-06-10
How to Cite
Petruzzi, C. A. (2023). «Je suis encore vivant!»: Notes on Carmelo Bene’s Caligola. Mimesis Journal, 12(1), 57-72. https://doi.org/10.4000/mimesis.2631
Issue
Vol. 12 No. 1 (2023)
Section
Essays