Milena Milani

Milena Milani was born in Savona on Decembre 24th, 1917. A lyric writer, she stepped into the limelight in 1947 with the novel Storia di Anna Drei and the 1954 short story collection Emilia sulla diga, both published by Mondadori. In 1964 the publishing of the novel La ragazza di nome Giulio was cause for much public stirring in Italy — the volume had been indicted of being offensive of public decency and Milani was tried for indecency. During the trial, Milani was sentenced at first instance to a six months' imprisonment, but various intellectuals — Giuseppe Ungaretti among them — took her side; Milani would later be fully acquitted on appeal. In the United States the novel was published by Dell — an Random House imprint — in 1968 with the title A Girl called Jules, in the translation of Graham Snell. In 1970 the book was turned into a film by the same title by Tonino Valerii.

During her life, Milani was not only a writer, but also a painter who garnered the attntion of critics and audirnce alike. The Fondazione Musaeo d'Arte Contemporanea in Memoria di Carlo Cardazzo saw its official opening in 2003, and it hosts Milani's private collection of contemporary art. Milena Milani died in Savona on Juky 9th, 2013.

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