Beppe Costa

Despite being born into a poor family, Costa grew up in an environment rich in books. He published his first volume of poems in 1970 (Una poltrona comoda, Giuseppe Di Maria editore), characterized, like the others that followed, by the theme of love and nonconformity.

Costa wrote and published two tour guides, first at local level, Catania, Guida ai monumenti, and the second at regional level, Sicilia, Guida ai monumenti, both with Muglia publisher. He also translated two books of the playwright Fernando Arrabal.

In 1978 he met the poet Dario Bellezza, which would begin with poetry readings and book presentations all around Italy, using everywhere available, including squares, bars, libraries, and theatres.

Successes:

Costa reached fame with the book Romanzo siciliano, the autobiographical story of an intellectual Sicilian in his struggle in the south and with the Mafia. In the United States the novel was reviewed by World Literature Today.

He wrote, until 1985, articles for Giornale del Sud and in Siciliani, both directed by Giuseppe Fava. In Giornale di Sicilia he published interviews with Alberto Moravia, Enzo Jannacci, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and Leo Ferré. He also participated to the radio program of poetry by RadioRai named Zenit & Nadir.

In 1985 he finally left Sicily. He published other collections of poems and received the Akesineide prize for Fatto d'amore and Canto d'amore.

In 1989, he won the Alfonso Gatto prize with the collection Impaginato per affetto. The preface is by Giacinto Spagnoletti, who, first recognised the artistic talent of Pier Paolo Pasolini. He appreciated the poetry of Costa, as expressing the pain of living, the need to love and the difficulty of harmonising this with the reality of another world.

His poems were read by actors like Lina Bernardi, Arnoldo Foà, Milena Mancini, Viviana Piccolo, Sara Pusceddu e Valeria Di Francesco and set to music, among others, by da Giovanni Renzo, Alessandra Celletti, Nicola Alesini, Giuliano Perticara, Mario Pettenati, and Gianluca Attanasio.

Fascinated by the musical innovations, Beppe Costa recorded a cd with Giovanni Renzo. This experience led him quickly to make visual poetry with photos and music videos mostly of René Aubry and Alessandra Celletti.

He inaugurated, with Beatrice Niccolai, in 2008, the exhibition Malaspinarte.

In 2008 the encounter with the poet and composer Mario Salis contributes to greater synergy to the Italian edition of the Teranova Festival, which was born in France and founded by Mario Salis under the leadership of Fernando Arrabal, has already seen the participation of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Patrice Leconte and of the same Arrabal.

In March 2010, as part of Beppe Costa's cycle of meetings, Fernando Arrabal visited Rome and spent two days with the Poets From Space, a group of poets from different Italian regions, chosen by Fabio Barcellandi.

Came out in June 2010, for Multimedia Publishing (Casa della Poesia from Baronissi – Salerno), his new collection of poems Anche ora che la luna, with a letter from Adele Cambria and Lia Levi.

From 2011 began the partnership with the poet Stefania Battistella creating the new reading/show: di me, di altri, ancora.

Publishing activity:

In 1976 he founded the publishing house Pellicanolibri, in promoting his work as editor of artists bashful, awkward or marginalized.

He rediscovered and published the stories of Luigi Capuana: Si conta e si racconta (Pellicanolibri, 1989) and a volume that Federico De Roberto dedicated to his city, Catania. He also published the translated texts of the contemporary French philosopher Gaston Bachelard.

From a meeting with Jodorowsky, the idea of publishing the book on the Panic Movement, a surrealist movement founded by Alejandro Jodorowsky with Fernando Arrabal and Roland Topor.

In 1980 he translated and published the first work of the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Manifesto subnormal. It will be also editor of Gisèle Halimi, Luce d'Eramo, Alberto Moravia, Dario Bellezza, Goliarda Sapienza, Arnoldo Foà, Angelo Maria Ripellino.

Since 1982, with the poet Dario Bellezza gives life to the series Inediti rari e diversi in order to report the authors excluded from the Italian literary society, like Anna Maria Ortese.

Beppe Costa and Bacchelli law:

In 1985 manages together with Adele Cambria to apply for the first time the Legge Bacchelli in favor of Anna Maria Ortese.

Anche ora che la luna:

From January 2008, begins the tour of poetry and music Anche ora che la luna. Initially, in Salento with the composer Giovanni Renzo at the piano, after alone and performing throughout Italy in places like the Literary Cafe in Rome and the Civic Theatre in Sassari. This tour will continue up to 2011.

Ho ancora voglia di sognare:

In 2009, began a collaboration with the French singer Eva Lopez, creating the show Ho ancora voglia di sognare, interpreting poems in their context and in the encounter with the songs of Leo Ferré, Édith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens.

Di me, di altri, ancora:

In 2009, gets under way the new show di me, di altri, ancora, touring around Italy (taken from the eponymous book forthcoming).

In 2012 the tour di me, di altri, ancora will restart with the poet Stefania Battistella.

Beppe, il poeta che amava le donne:

The director Ricky Farina produces the film Beppe, il poeta che amava le donne (Quixote production, 2009).

Ottobre in Poesia:

In 2009 he is the guest of honor at Ottobre in Poesia in Sassari, and in 2010 participates in numerous meetings with students from different schools of Sassari. At the end of the Festival Ottobre in Poesia, at the Civic Theatre in Sassari receives the poetics key of the city.

Events in 2012:

On the occasion of 20 years since the birth of the library Pellicanolibri, begin (from February to June) a series of meetings that will see, among the guests, personalities such as Arnoldo Foà, Adele Cambria, Paul Polansky, Jack Hirschman, Viorel Boldis, Alessandra Celletti, Dave Lordan, Andrea Garbin, Fabio Barcellandi, Don Backy and many others.

Our days:

In 2012 Costa was invited to the 13th, then was invited to the 14th and 15th, edition of the Nissan Festival which takes place in Maghar, (Israel) founded by the poet Naim Araidi.

From 2015 he was president of Terre di Virgilio Prize, from 2016 he was part of Francisco de Aldana Prize jury.

Costa began a collaboration with Era Buçpapaj, of the University of Tirana for several translations from English and Italian. In September 2019 he was invited to the International Poetry Festival in Kosovo, where he met the writer Luan Rama, who, a few days later, wrote an article for two newspapers in Tirana. (Schiptarja.com and Gazeta Schiptare)

Death:

Costa died on 10 June 2026, at the age of 84.