Cataldo Russo

Cataldo Russo, a school principal, was born in Crucoli, Croton, Italy. In 1972 he moved to Milan, where he graduated in Foreign Languages. From 1973 to 1975 he lived in England. Before being a professional teacher, he did several jobs: he was a mason, a waiter, a cook helper, a chauffeur, a rental agent, an educator, etc. A true-born country boy, he always struggled against injustice, in order to improve the living conditions of his people. His first book, the poem collection II coperchio, i cocci e la luna (The Lid, The Shards And The Moon), was published in 1985. In 1990 he published Amori, disamori e blablaismi (Affections, Disaffections and Blah Blahs), a collection of eight short stories, half in jest, half in earnest. In 1992 it’s the turn of Gli altri sequestrati (The Other Kidnapped), a theatrical play based on the Casella kidnapping. In 1994 he published the novel II precario (The Temp), with a Mario Spinella’s foreword. In 1997 his novel I recinti di don Pietraviva (Don Pietraviva’s Enclosures) was issued by Giovanni Tranchida publishing house. For the same publisher he also edited the Italian edition of Cao Xuequin’s Il sogno della camera rossa (Dream Of The Red Chamber) (1997), of Buddha insegna (Buddha’s Teachings), taken from the Dhammapada (1997), and of I Dialoghi di Krishna sull’Anima (Krishna’s Dialogues Upon The Soul), from the Bhagavadgita (1998). In 2002 he published the novel Il cielo sopra di me (The Sky Above Me), again for Tranchida. In December 2010 his satyrical-grotesque novel Cortigiani, giullari e mammasantissima (Courtiers, Jesters and Boss of Bosses) was issued by Alfredo Guida publishing house, Naples. His short stories and poems regularly appear in anthologies and magazines. Other Cataldo’s produced stage plays are: Il sogno di volare (The Dream of Flying), La guerra ritrovata (The War Regained), Solitudine e badanti (Loneliness and Home Carers), L'Unità incompiuta (The Unfinished Unity), Simu briganti (We are Brigands), Il foglio di carta bollata sulla testa (The Piece of Stamped Paper Upon The Head), Monia (Monia), Rappresaglia e rancore (Reprisal and Hatred), Scollegamenti (Disconnections).