Curzio Malaparte

Curzio Malaparte (born Kurt Erich Suckert in Prato, 1898–died 1957) was an Italian writer and journalist known for provocative wartime reportage and essays such as La Pelle and Kaputt. He had a complex political trajectory and travelled extensively in Europe and Asia.

Publicly verifiable facts: born in Prato (1898), died 1957; pen name of Kurt Erich Suckert; author of La Pelle and Kaputt; served as a liaison officer with Allied troops in wartime Italy; wrote reportage and travel pieces about Russia and China; wrote essays on Tuscan identity.

Reviews focus on Malaparte's wartime reportage and moral ambivalence, his vivid Naples scenes in La Pelle, travel impressions from Russia and China, and essays on Tuscan identity. Critics highlight his provocative, often shocking eye and complex political biography. Prose is praised for its immediacy and discomfort-inducing honesty.

For:Readers of 20th-century Italian literature, historical war reportage, and essays on regional identity.