Beppe Fenoglio was born in Alba (Cuneo) on March 1, 1922, to Amilcare Fenoglio and Margherita Faccenda, the eldest of three children (Beppe’s brother Walter was born in 1923 and his sister Marisa in 1933). He enrolled in a vocational school in order to learn a trade and become financially independent. But Beppe was an outstanding student, and his teacher Chiaffredo Cesena persuaded his parents to allow him to take an examination to enter the
ginnasio-liceo, a liberal arts high school emphasizing the study of classical literature which he attended between 1933 and 1941. In spite of his academic achievements, he remained withdrawn, afflicted with a slight stutter.
Fenoglio’s intense love for the Anglo-Saxon culture and particularly for Elizabethan England became a lifelong obsession. He
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Citation: Di Paolo, Maria Grazia. "Beppe Fenoglio". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 December 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12655, accessed 13 December 2024.]