Alda Merini

Poet

Birthday March 21, 1931

Birth Sign Aries

Birthplace Milan, Italy

DEATH DATE Nov 1, 2009 (78)

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About

Award-winning Italian poet whose work explored the intersection of insanity and creativity. She is particularly remembered for L'altra verita: Diario di una diversa, a 1986 poetic memoir.

Before Fame

She began writing at a young age and caught the attention of Giorgio Manganelli, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and other Italian authors.

Trivia

She was confined to a mental institution for over a decade, beginning in 1964. Her 1986 masterpiece, The Other Truth: Diary of a Dropout, was inspired by this experience.

Family Life

She was born in Milan, Italy, and she died in her home city at the age of seventy-eight.

Associated With

Her writing had an emotional, mystical bent and was influenced by the work of Rainer Maria Rilke.