Valentino Bompiani
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons16

Valentino Bompiani

Italian publisher, writer and playwright

Valentino Silvio Bompiani (27 September 1898 – 23 February 1992) was an Italian publisher, writer and playwright.2

From Wikipedia’s article on Valentino Bompiani (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Sep 27, 1898, died Feb 23, 1992.1

About

Born in Ascoli Piceno (Marche), he entered the publishing world as a secretary working for Arnoldo Mondadori in 1922. He rose quickly and by 1928 had become the director of the Milanese publisher Unitas. In 1929 he founded the publishing house carrying his name, which became one of the most important in Italy. By 1992, Bompiani had published 17 Nobel Prize winners. It is currently part of RCS Libri.

He was involved in a number of censorship cases, one of which was related to Elio Vittorini's Americana (published in 1942), and was viewed as anti-Fascist, though he was willing to collaborate for financial reasons, unlike other publishers such as Editori Laterza and Giulio Einaudi Editore. In 1933, Mussolini acquired the rights to an Italian translation of Mein Kampf; after Arnoldo Mondadori Editore refused, Bompiani accepted the offer in July 1933. The book was translated by Jewish translator Angelo Treves.

He debuted as a playwright in 1931 with L’amante virtuosa. His masterwork is considered to be Albertina of 1945.

He also wrote about his activities as a publisher in Via privata (1971), Dialoghi a distanza (1986) and Il mestiere dell’editore (1988).

From Wikipedia’s article on Valentino Bompiani, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Career

Occupation: writer, literary scholar, editor, screenwriter, playwright, publisher.4

Personal life

  • BornSep 27, 1898, Ascoli Piceno5
  • DiedFeb 23, 1992, Milan6 7
  • CitizenshipKingdom of Italy, Italy8
  • SpouseLucia Bregoli married 19329 10
  • Children311

Awards

  • 1952Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic12 13
  • Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic12