1867: Born in a village called Chaos, a
Suburb of Girgenti, Sicily.
Although the suburb and the town were
poor, his family was middle class.
His family’s sulphur mine was ruined
when he was young, leading the family to
hard times.
EARLY LIFE
Not much is documented of his childhood, but man
Of the themes in his works seem to be inspired by
Own life.
Throughout his life, he wrote more than 350 stories
Most of which contained themes grounded in
Reality and everyday life.
He also wrote poetry.
His wife, Antonietta, suffered from severe mental
Illness, which gave him a deeper insight into the
Workings of the mind.
This eventually showed in his work: In “Cap and
Bells”, Pirandello gave a detailed description on
how to ‘become mad’.
His work constantly covered the subject of rational
Truth versus the perceived truth of society.
Sometimes his work even borders on the absurd.
He became very close friends (and perhaps)
Lovers) with Marta Abba, one of Italy’s more
famous actresses.
She translated several of his plays into English,
as well as his final, unfinished work.
On his deathbed, Pirandello gave his son a
Synopsis of the conclusion to his latest work,
“The Mountain Giants”, which he had yet to
finish.
The conclusion was also eventually translated
by Ms Abba and published.
He died in Rome, at the age of 69, in 1936.
1867 - 1870
“Risorgimento”
-Pirandello’s Family supported
the Italian Unification
movement.
-It was a political and social
movement that collected the
different states of the Italian
peninsula into the single state
of Italy.
Pirandello and
Unification
-In 1887, he moved to Rome in order to
continue his studies.
-"When I arrived in Rome it was raining
hard, it was night time and I felt like my
heart was being crushed, but then I
laughed like a man in the throes of
desperation."
-Pirandello, who was an extremely
sensible moralist, saw that people had
grown exhausted by the affects of the
unification.
World War I
1915 - Italy entered World War I
on the side of the Allies.
-The strains and failures of war
pushed Italian unity to the edge.
-After the war, Italy underwent
three years of political and
economic turmoil.
1922 - Post War
Italy
Fascist Movement
-Led by Mussolini.
-It was a movement in
response to growing socialism
and weak central government.
-After gaining popularity, the
king gave into pressure and
asked Mussolini to form a
government.
Pirandello and
Fascism
-In the years 1922 -1924, Pirandello
finally became an important public
figure. He was supported by Mussolini
at this time.
-In Paris, he received the Legion of
Honor,
-1925, Mussolini publicly announced
his admiration for the playwright,
Pirandello opened his own Art
Theatre in Rome.
-He is well known for the statement, "I
am a Fascist because I am an Italian.”
Pirandello and Fascism
[Continued]
 Later critics have drawn on his play “The Giants of the
Mountain” as a sign that he was starting to realize the anticultural aspects of fascism and used it to defend his actions.
 Mussolini's support clearly helped bring him international fame
and introduce the major theatrical centers to his version of the
theater.
Six Characters in Search of an Author
(Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore) -1921
Overview:
•A family of “characters” from an unfinished drama storm the
rehearsal of another theatrical company after being abandoned
by their original author
• Intruding characters insist upon getting the roles of the
theater production’s show in order to gain fullness of character
their own character
•Make compelling arguments as to their own reality of
existence
ACT I
•The family members begin
by telling conflicting versions
of the story as to how they
arrived where they are. The
conflicting stories only serve
to emphasize how lost the
family is without their
competed identities.
ACT II
•The family begins to act out their story, much to the
producers pleasure. Getting a solid idea of the plot,
the producer substitutes his own actors into the play,
only to find that the family of characters finds their
acting dissatisfactory. This act emphasizes that the
identity of the
characters is solely theirs
and cannot be replicated
by the troupe’s actors and
actresses.
ACT III
•The third act begins with an argument between the father
and the producer about what is actually real and what is
imagined. After the first argument, the family begins to
debate about how to play the next scene. The argument
dissipates as the eldest son begins telling the story of how he
found one of the daughters drowned in the fountain in the
garden. As the boy finishes the
story a gunshot is heard and the
characters rush to find the younger
boy shot, though some actors maintain
that he is fine. The play ends with only
a part of the family walking off the stage.
This act stresses the ambiguity
between what is real, and what is real
because it is imagined.
"How can we
understand each other if
the words I use have the
sense and the value I
expect them to have,
but whoever is listening
to me inevitably thinks
that those same words
have a different sense
and value, because of
the private world he has
inside himself too. We
think we understand
each other: but we
never do?”
Characters
•Father: Leader of the six characters, personality depends
on which family member is telling story. Called along with
step daughter “most eager to live.”
•Mother: mother of all four children (though only had
eldest son with the father) quite sullen at the recent loss
of her lover, wishes to reconcile her relationship with her
only legitimate child, the eldest son
•The producer: reluctantly accepts the truth of the
characters’ situation as he sees it for an opportunity for
success. He is intrigued by the characters’ story and
flexible to their demands.
Characters Continued
•The Son: resents his mother for leaving him as a
toddler, as well as his adopted family. The son is
also resentful of his father of his father for sending
him away for his education
•The stepdaughter: is first connected with her
stepfather after she is forced into a
brothel to support her family after
her biological father’s death.
Believes her stepfather forced her
mother to leave her, and therefore
resents him, desiring revenge.
Lucente, Gregory L. "Luigi Pirandello: Overview." Reference Guide to World
Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature
Resource Center. Gale. Abilene Christian University. 5 Nov. 2009
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=txshracd2478>.
"Overview: Six Characters in Search of an Author." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens.
Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Abilene Christian University. 7
Nov. 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=LitRC&u=txshracd2478>.