Davide Sapienza - a brief history – november 2007
For over 15 years, Davide Sapienza has been a major figure in the italian rock journalism scene, translating, editing and writing over 10 books, writing and contributing as editor or else to major music publications and newspapers, national tv, radio. Just turned twenty-one he released his first major success in 1985, with "U2-Lyrics and Translations", the first ever international book on the famous Irish band. Coincidentally, Davide had just created Fire magazine, a U2 World Service network publication, dedicated to the Dublin band and new talent, arts, cinema and literature. In the late '80s other major books include publications on Frank Zappa, The Waterboys, Simple Minds, Joe Jackson. For ten years, until 1994, he will also be a key part of the leading italian music books company, Arcana Editrice.
Travelling and poetry writing and reading is also part of his life. Therefore, in the late '80s he meets, and starts collaborating with the Cheyenne poet Lance Henson. He will eventually translate many of his readings and a book of poetry, in the early '90s. In the same period, Davide meets legendary Sioux Santee activist, poet and songwriter John Trudell. After introducing him to Italy, he will translate his book "Stickman", and organize is first ever tour of the country. These are the same years when Davide Sapienza blooms into a major rock journalist, with a programme on national TV (with major interviews of artists like Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Roger Waters, Neil Young, Daniel Lanois).
The turning point is the meeting of Renato Da Pozzo, a famous climber and adventure traveller. Davide is Renato's "voice" for the British Columbia expedition of 1995 (in the meantime he releases books on rock icons Nirvana, Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins). In 1997, they release a book together, and Davide follows Renato as PR and logistic manager in a difficut expedition, together with geographer and explorer Franco Michieli, in the Arctic tundra of Finnmark, Norway. In 1998 he stops altogether being a music journalist and writer with a last great achievement: an official approved book with the complete lyrics of Neil Young, released in 1997. These years see Davide as a groundbreaking consultant for the american indipendent record label Rykodisc International, that he leads to have in Italy one of its major markets.
Here starts the sabbatical, seven years travels and reflections that will lead him to his narrative and literary debut in 2004 and his comeback as a journalist of stories in 2005. Released by the major publisher BaldiniCasoldiDalai in September 2004, "I Diari di Rubha Hunish" is presented in over 40 public readings and during the performance called "The Sound of The Way", with the famous italian singer-songwriter Cristina Donà (www.cristinadona.it).
The book is preprinted after a month's release and the invitation to the 2004 edition of the Chatwin Prize, is a recognition of a book that according to many reviews, marks a departure for italian literature, as SPECCHIO-La Stampa points out: "with the complicity of nature itself this inspired writings reflect the awestruck view through the eyes of a keen explorer, ready to catch glimpses and situations too often overlooked. In his effort, author such as Melville, London, Thoreau lend a hand, but the "pupil" proves gifted with high poetic skills and an introspective reflective ability that has nothing to envy to his masters". As travel books go, "I Diari di Rubha Hunish" is quite an achievement, where landscapes and places melt with spirit and observations of the soul in a journal spread out through space and time.
2006 and 2007 have been quite busy with major travels in Norway, Nunavut, the Yukon, Newfoundland, and California. Writing for magazines as GQ, Rolling Stone and Specchio+, Rivista della Montagna and various publications he is now recognized as a major Jack London scholar, and was invited at the American Literature Association "Naturalism" Symposium in New port Beach to deliver a speech about London. "La valle di Ognidove" (www.lavallediognidove.it), is second novel, was published in September 2007 for CDA&Vivalda, after a limited edition photobook called "Taivitii", inspired by his stay with the Inuit in 2006. In 2007 he has put his mark on six books (Jack London being his major work as translator and editor and researcher in this field).
write to: nipi@davidesapienza.net