Italian writer Michela Murgia passes away

Italian writer Michela Murgia (photo), who wrote the book “How to Be a Fascist,” passed away on Thursday (local time) at the age of 51.

Italian news outlet Ansa reported that the author passed away in Rome after fighting stage four kidney cancer. Murgia, who was born in Sardinia, was a novelist and playwright and was known as one of Italy’s leading intellectuals promoting gender equality and anti-fascism.

She had many different jobs working as a store clerk, tax officer, and night guard before her literary debut. Her first novel, “Il mondo deve sapere,” was a satire on the telemarketing call center, highlighting its workers' inequality and economic manipulation. It was also produced as a play and film.

She wrote many other books including “Accabadora,” depicting the ambivalence of life and death of euthanasia, as well as “L'ho uccisa perché l'amavo: falso!” on female violence. “How to be a Fascist” published in 2018, is a political satire on extreme right populism around the world on anti-refugee sentiment and hatred towards minorities, which gained substantial popularity in Italy and was translated and published in more than 10 countries, including Korea.

Italy’s far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed her condolences.

“She was a woman who fought to defend her ideas, and although they were notoriously different from mine, I have great respect for this,” she said. Murgia married actor/director Lorenzo Terenzi in July. Her funeral was held at a church located in Piazza del Popolo of Rome on Saturday.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com