Enzo Bettiza

Enzo Bettiza

Vincenzo Bettiza (Enzo, Vinko)[1] (born 1927 in Split, Kingdom of Yugoslavia) is a Dalmatian-born Italian novelist, journalist and politician.

Biography

Bettiza was born in Dalmatia, in a rich Italian-Croatian family.[2] His mother stemmed from a family of the Croatian isle of Brač. His family owned the most important enterprise in Dalmatia, the Gilardi e Bettiza cement factory, in the city of Split. In 1941 Axis Powers Italy and Germany invaded Yugoslavia. During Italian occupation, Bettiza's father helped many Croatian people during the war and took many of them out of Fascist prison.[2] Enzo's cousin Pietro threw a bomb on the Italian army band, since they played Fascist marches, while Enzo himnself boycotted Fascist gatherings and organizations.[2] In 1944 the city was again rejoined to Croatia in new Yugoslavia. Many Italian families left already after the fall of Mussolini, since they realized that things are going bad.[2][3] Some Italian and mixed remained, part of them used the opportunity to opt for Italian citizenship. New authorities were interested in dealing with those who were colaborting with the occupator, and all others whome they considered as the "enemy of people", eather Croats, Italians or others. Their assets were nationalized. Bettiza moved to Gorizia after the end of World War II and the re-annexation of his native land to Croatia, at the age of 18. Later he moved to Trieste, and then to Milan: here he always declared to be living as "an exiled".

Bettiza has been director of several Italian newspaper and author of numerous books. as a journalist he devoted his attention to Eastern European countries and nationalities, and Southeastern Europe, Yugoslavian area in particular.

In the period 1957-1965 he was foreign corresponder for the newspaper La Stampa, first from Vienna and then from Moscow. Later he moved to Corriere della Sera, for which he worked for ten years.

In 1974, together with Indro Montanelli, founded the Milanese newspaper il Giornale nuovo, for which he was co-director until 1983.

Starting from 1976, he was member of the Italian Senate and the European Parliament. He now lives in Rome with his family and has been married a few times. His current wife, Laura Laurenzi, is an Italian writer.

Bettiza's major novel, I fantasmi di Mosca (Phantoms of Moscow) is credited as the most extended published novel written in Italian language.

Selected bibliography

Awards and medals

Croatian President Stipe Mesić awarded him with "Red Danice hrvatske s likom Marka Marulića", after the proposal of the journalists from Split.[4]

Sources

  1. ↑ Saša Ljubičić: Bettize nisu napustili Split zbog partizana, Bettiza's interview for Slobodna Dalmacija (2), November 25, 2004. Accessed June 12, 2016
    Enzo (Vinko) Bettiza primit će uskoro i znamenito odličje - red Danice hrvatske s likom Marka Marulića "za unaprjeđenje kulturnih i drugih odnosa između Republike Hrvatske i Talijanske Republike"."...
  2. 1 2 3 4 Saša Ljubičić: Bettize nisu napustili Split zbog partizana, Bettiza's interview for Slobodna Dalmacija (1), November 24, 2004. Accessed June 12, 2016
    Inače, te tzv.miješane talijansko – hrvatske familije kao moja, ...Najlakše je reć da sam Dalmatinac. Kulturno pripadam latinskoj sredini, Italija me priznala kao pisca, ali ja se najviše osjećam kao Dalmatinac, i dijelom, naravno, Europejac.
  3. ↑ Saša Ljubičić: Bettize nisu napustili Split zbog partizana, Bettiza's interview for Slobodna Dalmacija (1), November 24, 2004. Accessed June 12, 2016
    Ljubičić: Koliko je talijanskih familija napustilo Split nakon oslobođenja? Bettiza: Dosta ih je otišlo već nakon pada Mussolinija jer su shvatili da stvari idu loše. Mi smo bili jedna od posljednjih familija koje su ostale.
  4. ↑ Saša Ljubičić: Bettize nisu napustili Split zbog partizana, Bettiza's interview for Slobodna Dalmacija (2), November 25, 2004. Accessed June 12, 2016
    Enzo (Vinko) Bettiza primit će uskoro i znamenito odličje - red Danice hrvatske s likom Marka Marulića "za unaprjeđenje kulturnih i drugih odnosa između Republike Hrvatske i Talijanske Republike".


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