Irene Dionisio. Miracola
From September 17 to November 22, 2026
OPENBorn in Pittsburgh in 1922, William Demby was educated in the United States before being drafted during World War II, an experience that brought him from North Africa to Italy. After graduating from Fisk University in 1947, he settled in Rome, where he spent nearly twenty years developing his career as a novelist, journalist, and translator, publishing Beetlecreek (1950) and The Catacombs (1965). In the late 1960s, Demby returned to the United
States, becoming a professor at the College of Staten Island (CUNY) and publishing his final novel, Love Story Black (1978). He continued to move
between Italy and New York until his death in 2013; today, his legacy is preserved by his son James in a personal archive near Florence.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1922, William Demby was educated in the United States before being drafted during World War II, an experience that brought him from North Africa to Italy. After graduating from Fisk University in 1947, he settled in Rome, where he spent nearly twenty years developing his career as a novelist, journalist, and translator, publishing Beetlecreek (1950) and The Catacombs (1965). In the late 1960s, Demby returned to the United
States, becoming a professor at the College of Staten Island (CUNY) and publishing his final novel, Love Story Black (1978). He continued to move
between Italy and New York until his death in 2013; today, his legacy is preserved by his son James in a personal archive near Florence.
