Bompiani
Parent companyGiunti Editore
Founded1929
FounderValentino Bompiani
Country of origin Italy
Headquarters locationMilan, Italy
Publication typesBooks
Official websitewww.bompiani.eu

Bompiani is an Italian publishing house based in Milan. It was founded in 1929 by Valentino Bompiani.[1] In 1990, Bompiani became part of the RCS MediaGroup.[2] It was sold in 2015 to the Giunti Group. It is widely regarded as one of the leading literary publishing houses in Italy.

History

Libero Bigiaretti with the publisher Valentino Bompiani (right).

Bompiani experienced attempts at book censorship by Italy's fascist government from the 1920s through the 1940s. In 1940, Valentino Bompiani was summoned to Rome to meet with Alessandro Pavolini, the Minister of Popular Culture. At this meeting, Pavolini told Bompiani that he must limit the number of translations that he was publishing. At the time of the meeting, Bompiani was preparing to publish an anthology of American writers. Despite being told not to do so, Bompiani moved forward with the anthology. Pavolini learned of this and wrote to Bompiani that "The United States is a potential enemy of ours...This is no time to perform acts of courtesy toward America, not even literary ones."[3] Bompiani proceeded with publication nonetheless, soliciting a new introduction from Emilio Cecchi that sought to discourage any "excessive enthusiasm" toward America. Pavolini was placated by Cecchi's introduction and the anthology was ultimately published.[4][5]

In 1972 the company was bought by Fiat Group. In 1990 it became part of RCS MediaGroup. In October 2015, RCS MediaGroup sold RCS Libri, including Bompiani, to Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Italy's largest publisher. Mondadori is owned by Fininvest, a holding company controlled by Silvio Berlusconi. The acquisition was controversial.[6] In March 2016, Italian Competition Authority ruled that Mondadori must sell Bompiani in order to comply with market-share limits.[7] Nine companies, including Amazon and HarperCollins, expressed interest in purchasing Bompiani.[8][9] In September 2016, Bompiani was sold to Giunti Editore for €16.5 million.[10][11]

Authors

The list of authors published by Bompiani includes 17 Nobel Prize winners. Authors published by Bompiani include Alberto Moravia, Umberto Eco, Paulo Coelho and Yuval Noah Harari among others.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Valentino Bompiani, Italian Publisher, 93". New York Times. February 25, 1992. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Di chi sono le case editrici italiane?". Italian Post. September 22, 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Jones, Derek (2001). Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 9781136798634. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Rundle, Christopher (2010). Publishing Translations in Fascist Italy. Peter Lang. pp. 199–200. ISBN 9783039118311. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Bonsaver, Guido (4 July 2013). Mussolini censore: Storie di letteratura, dissenso e ipocrisia. Gius.Laterza & Figli Spa. ISBN 9788858109793. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Eco, Umberto (April 2, 2015). "Let's Not Allow Berlusconi's Mondadori to Devour the Entire Rizzoli–Corriere Group". New York Review of Books. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Mondadori dovrà vendere Bompiani". Il Post (in Italian). March 24, 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  8. ↑ "BRIEF-Mondadori says Amazon, Harpercollins interested in buying Bompiani". Reuters. June 29, 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  9. ↑ ""Amazon e HarperCollins su Bompiani". Ma Mondadori preferirebbe restasse italiana". Il Libraio. June 30, 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Delli Compagni, Agostina (September 30, 2016). "Mondadori cede Bompiani a Giunti per 16,5 milioni di euro". Wired. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "BRIEF-Mondadori unit Rizzoli Libri sells Bompiani business unit to Giunti Editore". Reuters. September 29, 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
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