Alfredo Panzini

Who was Alfredo Panzini?

Alfredo Panzini was an Italian novelist and lexicographer.

Born in Senigallia, Panzini was a student of Giosuè Carducci at the University of Bologna. Panzini worked as a secondary school teacher before becoming a writer. Panzini is noted for the humorous and often genial tone of his writings. Among his many works, there are Libro dei Morti, Santippe, and Il diavolo nella mia libreria. The idiosyncratic Italian dictionary he authored covered all forms of the language including slang. It was printed in several editions.

Panzini also penned several historical works, and in 1929 was among the first members of the Royal Academy of Italy named by Mussolini. He died at the age of 75.