Paolo Giordano by Allyssa Carson

1.      Why is this person important?

This individual is important because he is a famous Italian author who has received much prestige for his novel The Solitude of Prime Numbers or La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi. The novel has been translated into thirty languages and has received numerous awards such as the Premio Strega, which is the most prestigious Italian literary award.

2.      Why did you choose this person? How does her/his life relate to you?

I chose Paolo Giordano because I wanted to do research on someone who was more modern. We have all learned about the classic famous Italians such as Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci, but very few of us know the more modern famous Italians. I also chose Paolo Giordano because he is an author and I really enjoy reading books, especially those of the young adult genre. His novel seems like a story I would be interested in and that is one of the main things that drew me into choosing him to research.

3.      If she/he had never existed, would the world be different from how we know it now? Why?

To be honest, no, I do not believe the world would be significantly different from how we know it now. There are an innumerable amount of authors and while his book was extremely welcomed and well-received, had he never been alive to make it, we wouldn’t know the difference. The world would still continue the same way it is and the Premio Strega award would just have gone to another individual.

4.      If you could meet that person, what would you ask her/him?

I would ask him what inspired him to be a writer. He studied physics in college and received his doctorate in particle physics. With that degree, you would assume he would be on a completely different career path than that of an author. Therefore, I’d be curious to hear what inspired him to become a writer and, even further, what inspired him to major in physics.

5.      Do you think the fact this person was Italian played a role in his/her achievement?

No, I don’t believe that Paolo Giordano being Italian played a huge role in his achievement. Authors are successful worldwide regardless of their origin. While his novel was very well-accepted in Italy, selling over a million copies, the same could have happened to him anywhere in the world. Perhaps something about his homeland inspired him to write that particular novel and in that case, yes, the fact that he is from Italy would have played a role. But, since there’s no way to prove that, it can be assumed that his birthplace played an insignificant role. However, it could be argued that because the award he received is specifically awarded to Italian authors and the other awards he received are the same as well, that these achievements are directly related to him being Italian. But, it should be considered that most countries have their own awards for natives who do amazing things and he could have received similar awards still had he been born somewhere else. So ultimately, no I do not think the fact that Paolo Giordano was Italian contributed significantly to his success or achievements.