Giorgio De Maria (1924–2009) was an Italian writer, playwright, and musician, best known for his eerie and enigmatic novel The Twenty Days of Turin. Born in Turin, Italy, De Maria initially pursued studies in music before transitioning to writing. His literary career began in the post-war period, a time when Italian literature was grappling with the traumas of fascism and war, and De Maria’s works reflect this dark, introspective tone.

De Maria was associated with the Gruppo 63, an avant-garde literary movement in Italy that sought to challenge conventional narrative forms and experiment with new literary techniques. His early works, including essays and short stories, were published in various Italian literary magazines, establishing him as a distinctive voice in the Italian literary scene.

However, it was his 1977 novel Le venti giornate di Torino (The Twenty Days of Turin) that would become his most famous work, though it went largely unnoticed at the time of its publication. The novel is a chilling and surreal exploration of paranoia, collective memory, and the impact of authoritarianism on society, set in a fictionalized version of De Maria’s hometown of Turin. The book remained obscure for decades but gained a cult following after its translation into English in 2016, introducing De Maria’s work to a broader audience.

Beyond writing, De Maria was a talented musician and was involved in the Turin cultural scene, collaborating with various artists and intellectuals. Despite his contributions, De Maria largely lived in obscurity, and his later years were marked by a withdrawal from public life. He passed away in 2009, leaving behind a legacy that has been increasingly recognized for its haunting relevance to contemporary issues.