Ignazio Silone (born Secondino Tranquilli) was born on May 1, 1900 in Pescina dei Marsi, in the province of Aquila, to a family of small landowners. He lost all but his younger brother Romolo in the 1915 earthquake that ravaged the Marsica region of Abruzzo. In his late teens, he moved to Rome where he undertook political activities, including the direction of a socialist weekly. The year 1919 saw him deeply involved with the Federazione Giovanile Socialista Italiana (Italian Socialist Youth Organization), whose membership he represented at the birth of the Italian Communist Party (PCI) during the 1921 Congress of Livorno. His fame as a cultural icon and folk hero of the Italian left is thus based in equal parts on his history

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First published 02 November 2009

[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=11846, accessed 21 November 2009.]