2023-08-11 10:29:06
The writer Michelle Murgia (Cabras, Sardinia, 1972 – Rome, 2023), a unique voice of the movement feminist Italian, catholic, influential left-wing intellectualhas died on Thursday night, at the age of 51, from kidney cancer.
They are great cultural activism in social networks has influenced the public debate, generating a critical reflection on crucial and current issues in general, such as the immigration, the emancipation of women or the rights of LGBTI people.
In an interview with ‘Corriere della Sera’ last May, he revealed his illness: “Cancer is not something I have, it is something I am.” Thus, chose to live publicly the period of his illness, telling his story through social networks. In the same interview, he explained that he only had a few months to live and expressed himself with his always free, critical and rebellious spirit: «I only hope to die when Giorgia Meloni is no longer Prime Minister».
Meloni replied: «I find out that the writer Michela Murgia suffers from a terrible illness. I never met her or shared her ideas, but I want to send her a hug and tell her that we support her. I really hope that she can see the day when I stop being prime minister, as she hopes, because my goal is to continue doing my job for a long time. ohcome on michael!».
Today Giorgia Meloni, adding to the enormous impact that the death of the writer has had in Italy, said: «I want to express my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the writer Michela Murgia. She was a woman who fought to defend her ideas, although notoriously different from mine, and for this I have great respect for her.”
many lives
Michela Murgia lived many lifetimes before devoting herself fully to her writing career. After finishing her studies at the commercial technical institute, she held at least five different jobs. Initially, she taught religion, then held positions as a tax agent, administrative manager, and night porter.
In addition, she was a columnist, consultant for the Gedi publishing group (it publishes, among other newspapers, ‘La Repubblica’ and ‘La Stampa’) and a presenter on television and radio, giving a voice above all to those forgotten or marginalized by society. The writer, also very active in social and political life, was a candidate in 2014 for the presidency of Sardinia, her native region, which she did not reach.
He began his literary career with ‘The world must know’ (‘The world must know’, 2006), a tragicomic novel that portrays the life of a precarious telephone operator. It was an autobiographical book, originally published as a blog, during the time that Murgia worked in a ‘call center’. The story inspired the film ‘All Life Ahead’ (2008), by Paolo Virzì, in which Murgia participated in writing the script.
The recognition of the public was achieved with ‘the finisher‘ (Einnaudi, 2009) on euthanasia and adoption in the fifties. It is his best-known novel, with which he won several awards, including the Campiello. With ‘Ave Maria’ (2011) she reflected on women and the church (She had a BA in Theology; in June she was received by Pope Francis.)
His latest book, ‘Three bowls. Rituals for a year of crisis’ (Mondadori, 2023), quickly climbed to the top of the sales charts. Murgia confessed that in that novel he recounted “what is happening to me, with the diagnosis of cancer included.”
A great defender of diverse families, with her essay ‘God Save the Queer’ she expressed her confidence that “as a Christian I hope that faith also needs a feminist and queer perspective”. She is the mother of four children, adopted as adults, in mid-July she married “in articulo mortis” with Lorenzo Terenzi (1988), actor, director and musician. He did it civilly, to guarantee the rights of his partner and his family, declaring that day: “Husband a man, but he could also be a woman.”
Michela Murgia, established as one of the first Italian writers, will be remembered for having transformed narrative language into a powerful political tool for cultural struggle and resistance. She always did it with a smile, even during the last few months when she staged her own illness.
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