Because the events in Libero Bigiaretti's life constitute the background and a point of reference for his fiction, he has often been called an autobiographical writer, with the implication being that his imagination and talent are limited by his experience. He has at times encouraged this perception, as when one of the characters from his last novel, Il viaggiatore (The Traveler, 1984), confesses, "Sono privo diimmaginazione: non saprei inventare niente, neppure qualche supporto alla memoria. Lo so, e non me ne dolgo" (I have no imagination: I could not invent anything, not even a support for my memory. I know this and do not regret: it). However, such an admission from a character should not be read as expressing Bigiaretti's final word on his work.

Bigiaretti's belief in the importance of experience is akin to Protagoras's assertion that man is the measure of all things or Benedetto Croce's implication...