Silone - Shirone (English spelling) Ignazio Silone

Italian novelist. His real name was Secondo Tranquilli. He was born in a rural area in central Italy. In 1915, an earthquake struck his hometown, killing five of his seven siblings and his parents, and he had to discontinue his studies. He then became active in politics, helping to found the Italian Communist Party in 1921 and serving as editor-in-chief of its organ, Avanguardia. He continued to be active underground after the rise of Fascism, but left the party after criticizing Stalinism. He began his career as a writer around this time, and in 1930 he went into exile in Switzerland, where he published Fontamara, a novel about peasants in his native Abruzzi region who were subjected to harsh exploitation and oppression under the Fascist regime, and who finally rose up in resistance. He then published Bread and Wine (1937) and Seeds Beneath the Snow (1944). He became more famous abroad than in his own country. After the Second World War, he returned to Russia and served as editor-in-chief of the Socialist Party's newspaper, while also publishing works such as "The Secret of Luca" (1956) and "The Fate of a Poor Christian" (1968). He also published many other political essays.

[Kouhei Kawana]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イタリアの小説家。本名セコンド・トランクィッリ。イタリア中部の農村に生まれる。1915年、故郷を襲った地震によって、両親と7人兄弟の5人までを失い、学業を中断する。その後、活発な政治活動を開始し、21年にはイタリア共産党創設に加わり、機関紙『アバングァルディア』などの主筆を務める。ファシズム台頭後も地下活動を続けるが、スターリニズムを批判して脱党。このころから作家活動を始め、30年にスイスへ亡命すると、故郷アブルッツィ地方の農民がファシズム体制下で過酷な搾取と弾圧にさらされ、ついに抵抗に立ち上がる姿を描いた『フォンタマーラ』を発表。ついで、『パンとぶどう酒』（1937）、『雪の下の種子』（1944）を刊行。本国よりもむしろ国外で有名になる。第二次世界大戦後、帰国すると、社会党機関紙の主筆を務める一方で、『ルーカの秘密』（1956）、『ある哀れなキリスト教徒の運命』（1968）などの作品を発表。ほかに政治論集なども多い。

［川名公平］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例