Kalasso Roberto

Roberto Calasso was an Italian writer, translator, essayist, and publisher. He translated Nietzsche, Kafka, and Karl Kraus.

He graduated with honors from a classical lyceum, writing a paper under the supervision of Mario Praz on hieroglyphs in Thomas Browne. He studied at the University of Rome, specializing in English literature. In 1962 he joined the circle of the prestigious Milan publishing house Adelphi, in 1971 he became its head and led it until his death. He translated works by Friedrich Nietzsche, Franz Kafka, and Karl Kraus. In 2004 he taught in the Department of Comparative History of European Literatures at Oxford. Calasso’s books have been translated into more than 20 languages, including Russian.

He died in Milan at the age of 81.