Giampiero Neri

Giampietro Pontiggia (7 April 1927 – 15 February 2023), also known by the pen name Giampiero Neri, was an Italian poet. He was noted for his novel style; his work is known for its concise, dry, and unembellished style, and veined with melancholy and humor. His work was often written in prose. He was part of the fourth generation of Lombard line.

Biography Neri was born in Erba, Como on 7 April 1927. He grew up during World War II, in which he lost members of his family. His younger sister committed suicide in her twenties. He began publishing poetry in the 1960s, influenced by his younger brother (but more known at that time) - Giuseppe Pontiggia. He was soon recognized as a major exponent of the Milanese school of poetry. His poems were often themed around the experiences during the war. He was one of the first in Italy to use a poetical prose as poetry (likely influenced by the descriptive narratives by Vittorio Sereni ) and has been called "a master of poetry in Italian prose". In 1948 he moved with his family to Milan, where he continued to work in a bank for forty years before his retirement.

Neri died on 15 February 2023, at the age of 95.

Selected works L'aspetto occidentale del vestito (Guanda: 1976) Liceo (Guanda: 1986) Dallo stesso luogo (Coliseum: 1992) Teatro naturale (Mondadori: 1998) Erbario con figure (LietoColle: 2000) Finale (Dialogolibri: 2002) Armi e mestieri (Mondadori: 2004) Piano d'erba (Quaderni di Orfeo: 2005) Di questi boschi (Quaderni di Orfeo: 2007) Paesaggi inospiti (Mondadori: 2009) Il professor Fumagalli e altre figure (Mondadori: 2012) Via provinciale (Garzanti: 2017) Non ci saremmo più rivisti. Antologia personale (Interlinea edizioni: 2018) Piazza Libia (Ares edizioni: 2021)

Anthologies Poesie. 1960-2005 (Mondadori: 2007) Antologia personale (Garzanti edizioni: 2022)