Cesare Pavese

Cesare Pavese (UK: pav-AY-zay, -⁠zee, Italian: [ˈtʃeːzare paˈveːze, ˈtʃɛː-, -eːse]; 9 September 1908 – 27 August 1950) was an Italian novelist, poet, short story writer, translator, literary critic, and essayist. He is often referred to as one of the most influential Italian writers of his time.

Pavese was reportedly apolitical in the 1930s, but he was moving in antifascist circles. He served a short sentence as a political prisoner. Though eligible for drafting into the Italian Armed Forces during World War II, he did not see any active service. He spent part of the war hospitalized due to asthma. Many of his friends in Turin joined the partisans, but Pavese took no part in the armed struggle in the vicinity of the city. After the war, Pavese joined the Italian Communist Party and worked on the party's newspaper, L'Unità. Toward the end of his life, he was suffering from depression and political disillusionment. He died by suicide by an overdose of barbiturates.