The writing career of Pier Paolo Pasolini coincided with events of immense literary and social importance in Italy. Like many of his generation--being born at the inception of Fascism, coming of age during its defeat, and maturing in the prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s--Pasolini was a witness to a national debacle and was an artist committed to social change. In addition to poetry, he wrote novels, essays, plays, and scripts. In the 1960s he became one of the most celebrated Italian filmmakers.

Pasolini was born on 5 March 1922 in Bologna to Carlo Alberto (an army officer) and Susanna Colussi Pasolini. The family lived in the Friuli area (in the towns of Belluno, Sacile, Conegliano, and Casarsa), the Emilia region (in Cremona and Scandiano), and Bologna because of frequent moves with the military. Having begun writing poetry when he was seven, Pasolini attended high school and university in Bologna...