The article stresses the fact that what readers will find in Benni?s books are bitter but true descriptions of today?s Italy, with its problems and demons.His books have been translated into around 20 foreign languages and scored notable commercial success. Even if Benni draws the images of Italy which can sometimes seem distorted or exaggerated, they are always very close to reality. Additionally, the paper points out that these descriptions can be seen as chronicles of Italy in fact, the analysis of Benni?s books displays changes which the country underwent over time, from the early Nineties to the New Millennium. The range of allusions to Italy is vast indeed: from politics to the city of Rimini, from passion for television, through consumption, to traffic jams. The study is based on three novels (La Compagnia dei Celestini, Elianto, Spiriti) in which readers can easily find and recognise various traits of today?s Italy hidden behind different names, such as Gladonia, Tristalia or Usitalia ? traits so strongly rooted in reality that. The aim of the article is to reveal and analyse the allusions to contemporary Italy that appear in Stefano Benni?s writing.

The article stresses the fact that what readers will find in Benni's books are bitter buttrue descriptions of today's Italy, with its problems and demons. Even if Bennidraws the images of Italy which can sometimes seem distorted or exaggerated, they are always very close to reality. Additionally, the paper points out that thesedescriptions can be seen as chronicles of Italy in fact, the analysis of Benni's books displays changes which the country underwent over time, from the early Nineties to the New Millennium. The study is based on three novels (La Compagnia dei Celestini, Elianto, Spiriti) inwhich readers can easily find and recognise various traits of today's Italy hidden behind different names, such as Gladonia, Tristalia or Usitalia - traits so strongly rooted in reality that they cannot be ignored. The aim of the article is to reveal and analyse the allusions to contemporary Italy that appear in Stefano Benni's writing.

Elianto by Stefano Benni