Beppe Costa (25 August 1941 – 10 June 2026) was an Italian poet, novelist, and publisher.
Life and career Early life 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, Casa della Poesia: bibliography of Beppe Costa. (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., Denise Valtz Ferreri (Winter, 1986) "Beppe Costa -Romanzo Siciliano-". 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 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 , 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. , portal province of Massa.
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, Fernando Arrabal a Roma. 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 . From 2011 began the partnership with the poet Stefania Battistella creating the new reading/show: di me, di altri, ancora., Beppe Costa "di me, di altri, ancora", with the participation of Stefania Battistella.
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., Comunicazione Filosofica n. 10, maggio 2002.
From a meeting with Jodorowsky, the idea of publishing the book on the Panic Movement,, Panico, Pellicanolibri 1978. 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., Manifesto subnormale, :it:Pellicanolibri 1980. 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 in favor of Anna Maria Ortese.
Shows and tours
Anche ora che la luna From January 2008, begins the tour of poetry and music Anche ora che la luna. , Anche ora che la luna date tour. 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, Anche ora che la luna at Civic Theatre in Sassari. 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, , Beppe Costa and Eva Lopez. 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, date di me, di altri, ancora tour. (taken from the eponymous book forthcoming). In 2012 the tour , di me, di altri, ancora spazio Tadini. 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 , Literary Prize "Città di Sassari" this morning the ceremony with Beppe Costa. 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, invito al Nisan Festival di Maghar, Israrele 2012. 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., Festival Internacional NISAN. From 2015 he was president of Terre di Virgilio Prize,, Premio Nazionale di Poesia Terra di Virgilio – ADN Kronos. from 2016 he was part of Francisco de Aldana Prize jury., El abulense Muñoz Quirós logra II Premio Internacional convocado en Nápoles – La Vanguardia.
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.
Awards Ragusa, libro siciliano dell'anno Prize, 1984 Akesineide Prize 1987 Alfonso Gatto Prize, 1990 Città di Ascoli Prize, 1992 International poetry prize "Il Delfino d'Argento", Nettuno, 1992 Joppolo Prize, 1997 Ciac per la poesia Prize (Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome), 2008 Iceberg News per...parole... Prize, Teranova Festival (Villa Medici, Rome), 2008 Career Award at "La Befana del Poliziotto 2009" Orione Teatre (Roma), EPIFANIA: DOMANI AL TEATRO ORIONE DI ROMA LA 'BEFANA DEL POLIZIOTTO 2009'. Premio Internazionale Città di Ostia: career award,, Premio Città di Ostia. Roma 2012. Career Award at Nettuno PhotoFestival, , Beppe Costa e Tomaso Binga al PhotoFestival di Nettuno. Nettuno 2014 Career Award at Nisan Festival Maghar (מע'אר, Israel) Prize Moniga "Naim Araidi", Moniga del Garda, 2017 Prize Cultura Ambiente Umanità, Anzio Nettuno, Università Popolare, Fusibilia 8 marzo 2019
Works
Guides Catania, Guida ai monumenti, (with Luccjo Cammarata), Muglia editions Sicilia, Guida ai monumenti, (with Luccjo Cammarata), Muglia editions
Anthologies Documento Sicilia, Giuseppe Di Maria editions Enotrio, a cura di Dario Micacchi, Jaca Book edizioni, '88 Almanacco di Galleria, ed. Salvatore Sciascia, year I n. 2, '91 Poesia '90, edited by Giorgio Weiss and , ed. '90 Poesia '90, edited by Giorgio Weiss and Riccardo Reim, ed. '91 ContrAppunti perVersi, 1990, Pellicanolibri Il Policordo, Rivista, edited by year VI n 2/3 ConVersiAmo, 1991, Pellicanolibri Ponte degli angeli,1986, Scripta Manent L'amore, la guerra, RAI, Radiotelevisione italiana, a cura di Aldo Forbice, 2004. . Calpestare l'oblio edited by Davide Nota and Fabio Orecchini, 2010, Argo Acqua privata? no grazie, edited by Marco Cinque, 2011, Ilmiolibro Nisan – International Poetry Festival – Maghar, edited by Naim Araidi, 2012 Heartfire – second revolutionary poets brigade, a cura di Jack Hirschman e Agneta Falk, 2013, Kallatumba Press, S. Francisco. . AA. VV. Manifest'Azioni dal Sottosuolo, a cura di A. Garbin, Seam Edizioni, 2014. . Poems for the Hazara, multilingual poetry anthology, 2014. . Jackissimo, antologia poetica dedicata a Jack Hirschman, a cura di A. Bava, Seam Edizioni, 2014. . AA. VV. SignorNò, poesie e scritti contro la guerra, a cura di M. Cinque e P. Rushton, Seam Edizioni, 2015. . AA. VV. Refugees, 15. Berlin International Literature Festival, 2015, Verlag Vorwerk. . AA. VV. Woher ich nicht zurückkehren werde, Berliner Anthologie, Verlag Vorwerk 8. . Raimondi Valeria; Costa Beppe; Hirschman Jack: Poetre II. Rrjedhë dallge që shtyn-L'onda dentro che sospinge, Gilgamesh Edizioni, 2016. . No resignación. Antología de Salamanca, a cura di Alfredo Peréz Alencart, Depósito Legal: S. 504-2016 Impreso en Salamanca, en los talleres de Gráficas Lope, 2017 AA. VV. SignorNò, poesie e scritti contro la guerra, a cura di M. Cinque e P. Rushton, Nuova edizione, Associazione Pellicano, 2016. . AA. VV. LiberAzione poEtica, pref. Jack Hirschman, Pellicano, 2017. . AA. VV. Poeti da morire, a cura di Marco Cinque e Beppe Costa, Pellicano Sardegna, 2018. . AA. VV. Giornata mondiale della poesia, Roma 2020 AA. VV. D'amori, di delitti, di passioni, a cura di Beppe Costa e Vito Davoli, 2022. AA. VV. SignorNò!, a cura di Marco Cinque e Vito Davoli, 2022. AA.VV. Parole a(r)mate, Kondo 2023 AA.VV. De aquende u allende, XXVI enccuentro del Poetas Iberoamericanos, Edifsa, 2024 AA.VV. AA.VV. Dissent, an anthology to end war and capitalism, Vagaabon Mark Lipman Editor, 2024, ISBN 9781958307045
Prose and poetry
Una poltrona comoda, Vincenzo di Maria editor, 1970 Un po' d'amore, Muglia editions, 1975 Metamorfosi di un concetto astratto in due tempi con accompagnamento di ottavino, (with a foreword by Dario Bellezza), Pellicanolibri, 1982 Romanzo siciliano, Pellicanolibri, 1984 Canto d'amore (with illustrations by Ivana Buschini), Pellicanolibri, 1986 Fatto d'amore (with foreword by Dante Maffia), Pellicanolibri, 1987. . Impaginato per affetto (with foreword by ), Pellicanolibri, 1989 Il male felice, Pellicanolibri, 1992 Due o tre cose che so di lei (with foreword by Luce d'Eramo), Pellicanolibri, 1995. .