Michael Ugo Stille (Kamenetzky)

Mikhail Kamenetzky was born in Russia in 1919 into a Jewish family. Forced to leave the country at the outbreak of civil war, his family fled to Germany and then settled in Italy in the early 1930s. Kamenetzky studied at the University of Rome, where he attended Giovanni Gentile's lectures and formed a close friendship with Giaime Pintor. Together, they created the pen name Ugo Stille, which they used to sign their foreign policy articles in Oggi between 1939 and 1941. After graduating in 1941, Kamenetzky emigrated with his family to the United States to escape rampant anti-Semitism. In New York, Kamenetzky became close to a group of Italian refugees and intellectuals, including Bruno Zevi, Niccolò Tucci, Nicola Chiaromonte, Franco Modigliani and Max Ascoli. By virtue of his friendship with the latter, he was able to broaden his circle of acquaintances. For instance, he was introduced to Alberto Tarchiani, the Italian ambassador to the United States, during a dinner at Ascoli's house. He also attended Salvemini's Mazzini Society gatherings around this time.

After the attack on Pearl Harbour, Kamenetzky was recruited to join the US army in Italy, thus obtaining citizenship in a very short time. Thanks to his knowledge of the Italian language and culture, Kamenetzky became part of the intelligence corps responsible for intercepting enemy radios, the Psychological Warfare Branch (PWB) and was entrusted with the direction of the Allied radio stations. In Italy, he met Elio Vittorini, a great friend of Pintor, and Carlo Levi. In Turin, he was immediately well received among the intellectuals associated to the Einaudi publishing house, once more thanks to his friendship with Pintor. The journalist was keen to go back abroad, so when Il Corriere della Sera offered him a position as a reporter in the United States he accepted it. Writing for the Italian newspaper from 1946 to 1987, when he will become its editor, Kamenetzky maintained strong ties with Italy.

Back to America, Kamenetzky married the American Elizabeth Bogert in 1949. A few months later he officially became Michael Ugo Stille, partly to honour his friend Pintor, who died during the war. His work brought him into contact with the likes of Alfred Kazin and colleagues from other newspapers, including Ennio Caretto, Arturo Zampaglione, Vittorio Ivella and Stefano Eco. Stille became one of the most famous foreign correspondents of the post-war period. As a matter of fact, he had personal contacts with both American and Italian leaders and intellectuals, and his presence was greatly valued at events and cultural gatherings. As he established a reputation for himself as an authority figure for Italians in the United States, Stille frequently followed visiting Italian writers and politicians, such as Carlo Levi on his trip to promote Christ Stopped at Eboli. Mostly through his friendship with Chiaromonte, Stille was introduced to the intellectual community that revolved around the Partisan Review, a publication he read obsessively alongside Ignazio Silone's Tempo Presente.

US media outlets greatly esteem Stille's journalistic skills. In fact, the New York Times frequently quotes or includes his opinions and his analysis of current events, which benefits from his references to both Italian and American culture. As evidence of how highly his opinion is regarded, he is considered “the respected specialist on American affairs of Corriere della Sera of Milan” (The New York Times, June 3, 1986).

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