Romano Bilenchi was born near Siena, Tuscany.He was a member of the Italian Resistance during the Fascist period and in the years following the end of WWII became an active member of the Italian Communist Party. Winner of the prestigious Viareggio Prize in 1972, he published over ten novels and several collections of short stories and essays in his lifetime, and was close friends with some of the major figures of his age, including Eurgenio Montale and Ezra Pound. Bilenchi died in Florence in 1989.