Research

I was born in Cagliari in 1993. I studied at the University of Cagliari and at the University of Milan, where I received my BA in Classics (2015) and my MA in Modern Philology (2018). I attended a PhD in Transcultural Studies in Humanities (2020-2024) at the University of Bergamo, with a thesis focused on the myth of Ganymede in Classical and Italian Literature, from Dante to Poliziano and Tasso to Saba and Gadda (main supervisor: Luca Carlo Rossi).

In 2015 I joined as an Erasmus student the Philologische Fakultät of the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg for the purpose of studying Sanskrit, German, Classical Archaeology and doing research on Greek theater (Aeschylus).

In 2018 I published my first essay book supervised by Prof. Patrizia Mureddu: Pasolini traduttore di Eschilo. "L'Orestiade" (Grin Verlag, Munich).

In 2022 I joined as an international scholar the Literary Studies Research Unit at KU Leuven (supervisor: Bart Van Den Bossche).

My second essay book was published in 2022: Franco Buffoni un classico contemporaneo. Eros, scientia e traduzione (Pensa Multimedia, "Quaderni Per Leggere" directed by Natascia Tonelli and Simone Giusti; Forum Traiani National Price for Essay 2023). It is a reworking of my MA thesis written under the supervision of Prof. Massimo Gioseffi (co-supervisor Prof. Mauro Novelli).

I participated as a speaker in several international conferences: Cambridge, Oxford, Trinity College, Aix-Marseille, Gent, KU Leuven,  Lisboa, Siena, Perugia, Milano (Statale), Bologna, Bergamo, Trento, Napoli (L'Orientale).

My research interests include the following areas: Classical Reception (with a focus on Latin and Greek), Italian Literature, Contemporary Poetry, Translation Studies, Island and Archipelagic Studies, Queer and Sexuality Studies. 

Poetry

I have been awarded the Gozzano Prize - Opera prima (2021) and the Premio Internazionale Città di Como (2o22, reason for the award written by Milo De Angelis) for my first book of poetry: Isola aperta (Interno Poesia 2020; with a foreword by the poet Tommaso Di Dio). 

I am the first Sardinian author included in the prestigious Quaderni Italiani di Poesia Contemporanea, edited by Franco Buffoni. My second book Futuro remoto is included in Quindicesimo Quaderno Italiano di Poesia Contemporanea (Marcos y Marcos, 2021) with an introductory essay by the professor Paolo Giovannetti.

My poems have been translated into English ("Journal of Italian Translation"), Greek ("Periou"), Spanish ("Centro cultural Tina Modotti"), Portuguese ("Oresteia"), aired on different radios such as "RAI Radio 3" and "Radio Nacional Argentina", published in several Italian websites and journals such as "Le parole e le cose", "Nuovi Argomenti", "Repubblica" and included in anthologies such as Poeti italiani nati negli anni Ottanta e Novanta (Interno Poesia 2020), La radice dell'inchiostro (Argo 2021), Distanze Obliterate (Puntoacapo 2021), Queerfobia (D editore, 2022).

I am the director of www.mediumpoesia.com

Performing Arts

I was admitted to the Scuola d'Arte Drammatica of Cagliari where I obtained my diploma of actor (2012). I refined my education and continued  training with actors and directors such as Alfonso Santagata, Gianfrancesco Lazotti, Mario Faticoni (Crogiuolo), Guido de Monticelli (Teatro Massimo) and the French choreographer Clotilde Tiradritti.

I played the role of Jo in the movie Il rosa nudo (2013) by Giovanni Coda, winner of Gold Jury Prize in the Feature Films category at the 2013 edition of Seattle Social Justice Film Festival and special event "for its high artistic, historical and moral value" inside the 7th edition of the Queer Lion Award of the 70th Venice Film Festival 2013.

In 2014 I performed a tale written by Milena Agus at the Bartoli Felter's Foundation for Art  for the opening of the art exhibition Aspettarsi by the artist Antonello Ottonello.

I worked as an actor with Lea Karen Gramsdorff for the play La terza onda (2014-2015) and I was the co-screenwriter of Le chiavi d'Europa (28 November 2016, Piccolo Teatro di Milano) under the supervision of Stefano Massini.

I wrote and performed two 'poetic plays' staged in Milan with the artist collective 'Trio Estratto': Niente in tasca (2017), Frammenti di viaggio (2019).

Contact me

francesco.ottonello1@gmail.com

francesco.ottonello@unibg.it

Here you can find my archive of poetry:

Archivio Francesco Ottonello.

Here you can find my academic profile:

Academia.edu profile.