Born near Lago Maggiore in Italy in 1926, Dario Fo is an actor, playwright, comedian, director, songwriter and political campaigner. His first one-act play was produced in 1958 and since then he has written, directed and acted in over forty plays and theatrical productions. In 1997 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the words of the Nobel Prize committee: “He if anyone merits the epithet of jester in the true meaning of that word. With a blend of laughter and gravity he opens our eyes to abuses and injustices in society and also the wider historical perspective in which they can be placed.” The Pope’s Daughter is his first novel.
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In 1997 Dario Fo, the great Italian playwright, comedian and poet, who sadly passed away last month, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on account of his magnificent skills as a playwright. His first novel, La figlia del papa, was written in 2014, and translated into...— The Oxford Culture Review, Nov 8 2016![]()
His attempts to levy heavy criticism at both politics and religion often hit home.— Signature, Oct 14 2016![]()
In 2014, he published his first novel, titled The Pope's Daughter, about Lucrezia Borgia, the alleged femme fatale and daughter of Pope Alexander VI.— The Australian, Oct 14 2016![]()
Borgiamania All tours lead to Rome. In 2015, over 13 million people visited the Eternal City. 7 million visited Vaticanland, where every Wednesday the Pope drives out in his Pope-mobile among the masses in St. Peter’s Square like Mickey Mouse at the entrance to the Magical...— European Literature Network, Jul 17 2016![]()
His Accidental Death of an Anarchist has become an international protest play, but Dario Fo’s biting satire extends far beyond theatre. As the Italian actor, artist and author enters his 10th decade, he is more prolific than ever— The Guardian, Mar 21 2016![]()
Lucrezia Borgia was Pope Alexander VI’s daughter. One of the most famous women in history, she was the beautiful victim of her corrupt, murderous family, made into a villainess by history in much the same way a raped woman may be stoned in some parts of the world. Lucrezia...— Historical novel society, Feb 2 2016![]()
In imagining hilarious and scandalous interactions and snappy dialogue, Dario Fo brings the infamous Lucrezia Borgia to life. He removes her from the reduction to mere victim or evil temptress and constructs a compelling and comic tale from a removed, third-person perspective...— World Literature Today, Dec 22 2015![]()
In spite of the mixture of forms (the comic and drama), it works as straightforward and chronological. This short book’s range beyond Italy of countries and their politics is amazing, yet we are never confused, lost, nor do we lose interest.— New Pages, Nov 3 2015![]()
The Pope's Daughter is Dario Fo’s first novel, published in Italy last year when the author, a playwright, political activist, and Nobel laureate in literature, was eighty-eight years old. The daughter in question is Lucrezia Borgia (1480–1519), once routinely classed...— The Barnes and Nobles Review, Sep 28 2015![]()
Last year, at the venerable age of 88, the Italian comic Dario Fo took on a new creative challenge. The veteran of more than 60 years as an actor, painter, director, stage designer and playwright (as well as the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature), he had in recent...— The New York Times, Aug 14 2015![]()
Note: Dario Fo was WINNER of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997, though he had never written a book. Instead, he was recognized by the Nobel Committee for his more than forty plays, his acting, his directing and his “emulation of the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging...— Mary Whipple Reviews, Aug 10 2015![]()
Writers and entertainers have long found rich fodder in the historical muck of the Borgia clan. Spanish interlopers at the height of the Italian Renaissance — the “original crime family,” as the popular Showtime series describes them — inspired works by Dumas, Victor...— The Washington Post, Aug 10 2015![]()
Dario Fo has long had a soft spot for Lucrezia Borgia. The renowned Italian playwright and Nobel laureate has attacked the popular — and enduring — representation of the Renaissance aristocrat as a femme fatale, calling such depictions in TV shows like “The Borgias” near...— The Boston Globe, Aug 7 2015![]()
Lucrezia Borgia has been dogged by nasty stories since long before her death in 1519. Every age produces its crop of biographers marshaling evidence to prove conclusively that the nasty stories aren't true, that they were born as propaganda cooked up by the enemies Lucrezia's...— The Christian Science Monitor, Aug 6 2015![]()
Dario Fo – playwright, comedian, Nobel Laureate – is an admirer of the 16th century form of street theater known as commedia dell’arte. These roving theatrical troupes employed masks, improvisation, wordplay and slapstick comedy to entertain the masses. The actors and...— BookSexyReview.com, Jul 27 2015![]()
In his debut novel, Nobel-winning playwright Fo draws a portrait of Lucrezia Borgia, she of infamy. Was Lucrezia "a monster, a poisoner, and a prostitute?" Or "a beauty [who] emanates...generosity, enthusiasm, passion, and willingness to make sacrifices for those she loves?"...— Kirkus Reviews, May 20 2015
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