Claudio Chillemi

Claudio Chillemi (born 11 May 1964) is an Italian writer, active mainly in science fiction and fantasy. In speculative fiction he has received awards in several editions of the Premio Italia (the main award of Italy's science-fiction and fantasy fandom ) and the Premio Vegetti. His short fiction has appeared in United States and French magazines, including The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, NewMyths, Black Cat Weekly and Galaxies.

Biography

Early work and theatre Chillemi was born in Catania in 1964 and is a teacher. In 1992 he published the short-story collection C'è qualcuno là fuori? and collaborated with the amateur magazine Zap. In 1994 he worked as a comics writer on Antehac 20.87 and Il tocco dell'innocenza. In 2000 he received the Premio Giovannino Guareschi for the short story L'ultima visita. After the award, the story was published in the Gazzetta di Parma.

Fantasy and science fiction In 2004 Chillemi published the novel Federico piccolo grande re, devoted to the youth of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor. In 2010 the novel appeared in a new edition under the title Federico: la favolosa infanzia di un sovrano leggendario. The series continued with L'aquila nera, L'isola di cristallo and La corona spezzata, historical-fantasy novels about the young Frederick II in a Sicily with magical and mythological elements. The novel has been described as a crime story with science-fiction elements, connected with the multinational corporation Kronos and with themes such as alternate history, parallel universes and time travel. Quel che resta della Kronos won the Premio Italia and the Premio Vegetti in the science-fiction novel category. The cycle treats the theme of immortality in a science-fiction mode.

International collaborations In 2014 Chillemi published, with Paul Di Filippo, the story The Via Panisperna Boys in "Operation Harmony" in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Fondazione SF Magazine and Aetnacon In 2012 Chillemi founded the association Fondazione Science Fiction in Catania with Antonino Di Mari, Enrico Di Stefano and Rosaria Leonardi. The association has produced the fanzine Fondazione Science Fiction Magazine and organizes Aetnacon, described as the first Sicilian convention devoted to science fiction and fantasy. Aetnacon reached its fifteenth edition in 2024.

Reception In 2010 Pino Cottogni presented Kronos on Fantascienza.com as a novel that combines a police investigation with a science-fiction setting. In 2023 Carmine Treanni, writing in Wired Italia, described Dieselpunk as a collection born from the collaboration between Chillemi and Paul Di Filippo and highlighted its relationship with the dieselpunk imagination and with its Sicilian setting. 2023 – Best story in a professional publication for Il Bloop. 2024 – Best story in a professional publication for CiFlac. 2024 – Best article in an amateur publication for Il Fantastico Totò. 2025 – Best science-fiction novel for Katàne. 2025 – Best article in an amateur publication for The Fab Four - Il Fantastico Mondo dei Beatles.

Premio Vegetti 2016 – Best science-fiction novel for Quel che resta della Kronos.

Works

Novels and short novels Reissued as: Reissued as: Reissued as: Reissued as:

Collections and short fiction

Essays

Poetry

Comics