The beginning

Born into a poor family grows, however, in an environment rich in books. He published the first volume of poems in 1970^[1] (Una poltrona comoda, Giuseppe Di Maria editore), characterized, like the others that follow, by the theme of love and nonconformity. Beppe Costa Beppe wrote and published two tour guides,^[1] first at local level, Catania, Guida ai monumenti, and the second at regional level, Sicilia, Guida ai monumenti, both with Muglia publisher. Translated two books of the playwright Fernando Arrabal. In 1978 he met the poet Dario Bellezza which will begin with poetry readings and book presentations all around Italy, using everywhere is available: squares, bars, libraries, theaters.

Successes

He reaches fame with the book Romanzo siciliano, that treat the autobiographical story of an intellectual Sicilian in his struggle and his complaint the south and the Mafia.

In the United States the novel is reviewed by World Literature Today.^[2]

Beppe Costa collaborated until 1985 with articles on Giornale del Sud and in Siciliani both directed by Giuseppe Fava. He publishes in Giornale di Sicilia interviews to Alberto Moravia, Enzo Jannacci, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Leo Ferré. He also participates to the radio program of poetry by RadioRai named Zenit & Nadir. In 1985 he finally left Sicily. He public other collections of poems and receive the Akesineide prize for Fatto d'amore and Canto d'amore.

In 1989 wins the Alfonso Gatto prize with the collection Impaginato per affetto. The preface is by Giacinto Spagnoletti, who, first, recognized the artistic talent of Pier Paolo Pasolini, positively appreciates the poetry of Beppe Costa, in which beautifully expresses the pain of living, the need to love and the difficulty of harmonizing this with the reality of another world. The book will be presented in different school, The book will be presented in different schools in common with the same Spagnoletti and, in Rome, from Giorgio Bassani.

Beppe Costa and Alejandro Jodorowsky at Taormina Film Fest

His poems were read by actors like Lina Bernardi, Arnoldo Foà, Viviana Piccolo, Sara Pusceddu e Valeria Di Francesco and set to music, among others, by da Giovanni Renzo, Alessandra Celletti, Nicola Alesini, Giuliano Perticara, Mario Pettenati, and Gianluca Attanasio. Fascinated by the musical innovations, Beppe Costa recorded a cd with Giovanni Renzo. This experience led him quickly to make visual poetry with photos and music videos mostly of René Aubry and Alessandra Celletti. He inaugurate, with Beatrice Niccolai, in 2008, the exhibition Malaspinarte.^[3]

In 2008 the encounter with the poet and composer Mario Salis contributes to greater synergy to the Italian edition of the Teranova Festival, who was born in France and founded by Mario Salis under the leadership of Fernando Arrabal, has already seen the participation of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Patrice Leconte and of the same Arrabal.

An event of enormous importance in March 2010 for the cycle Beppe Costa meetings, Fernando Arrabal in Rome,^[4] guest of spent two days with the Poets From Space, a group of poets from different Italian regions, chosen by Fabio Barcellandi.

Came out in June 2010, for Multimedia Publishing (Casa della Poesia from Baronissi – Salerno), his new collection of poems Anche ora che la luna, with a letter from Adele Cambria and Lia Levi.
From 2011 began the partnership with the poet Stefania Battistella creating the new reading/show: di me, di altri, ancora.^[5]

Publishing activity

In 1976 he founded the publishing house Pellicanolibri, in promoting his work as editor of artists bashful, awkward or marginalized. He rediscovers and publishes the stories of Luigi Capuana: Si conta e si racconta (Pellicanolibri, 1989) and a volume that Federico De Roberto dedicated to his city, Catania. He also publishes the translated texts of the contemporary French philosopher Gaston Bachelard.^[6] From a meeting with Jodorowsky, the idea of publishing the book on the Panic Movement,^[7] a surrealist movement founded by Alejandro Jodorowsky with Fernando Arrabal and Roland Topor. In 1980 he translated and published the first work of the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Manifesto subnormal.^[8] It will be also editor of Gisèle Halimi, Luce d'Eramo, Alberto Moravia, Dario Bellezza, Goliarda Sapienza, Arnoldo Foà, Angelo Maria Ripellino. Since 1982, with the poet Dario Bellezza gives life to the series Inediti rari e diversi in order to report the authors excluded from the Italian literary society, like Anna Maria Ortese.

From 1992 Pellicanolibri becomes a great library on the edge of Rome. Here will reach authors from all parts of Italy and not only.

Beppe Costa and Bacchelli law

In 1985 manages together with Adele Cambria to make apply for the first time the Legge Bacchelli in favor of Anna Maria Ortese.

Anche ora che la luna

From January 2008, begins the tour of poetry and music Anche ora che la luna.^[9] Initially, in Salento with the composer Giovanni Renzo at the piano, after alone and performing throughout Italy in places like the Literary Cafe in Rome and the Civic Theatre in Sassari. This tour^[10] will continue up to 2011.

Ho ancora voglia di sognare

In 2009, began a collaboration with the French singer Eva Lopez, creating the show Ho ancora voglia di sognare,^[11] interpreting poems in their context and in the encounter with the songs of Leo Ferré, Édith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Georges Brassens.

Di me, di altri, ancora

In 2009, gets under way the new show di me, di altri, ancora, touring around Italy^[12] (taken from the eponymous book forthcoming). In 2012 the tour^[13] di me, di altri, ancora will restart with the poet Stefania Battistella.

Beppe, il poeta che amava le donne

The director Ricky Farina produces the film Beppe, il poeta che amava le donne (Quixote production, 2009).

Guides

• Catania, Guida ai monumenti, (with Luccjo Cammarata), Muglia editions
• Sicilia, Guida ai monumenti, (with Luccjo Cammarata), Muglia editions

Anthologies

• Documento Sicilia, Giuseppe Di Maria editions
• Enotrio, a cura di Dario Micacchi, Jaca Book edizioni, '88
• Almanacco di Galleria, ed. Salvatore Sciascia, year I n. 2, '91
• Poesia '90, edited by Giorgio Weiss and Riccardo Reim, ed. '90
• Poesia '90, edited by Giorgio Weiss and Riccardo Reim, ed. '91
• ContrAppunti perVersi, 1990, Pellicanolibri
• Il Policordo, Rivista, edited by Dante Maffia year VI n 2/3
• ConVersiAmo, 1991, Pellicanolibri
• Ponte degli angeli,1986, Scripta Manent
• L'amore, la guerra, RAI, Radiotelevisione italiana, a cura di Aldo Forbice, 2004. ISBN 88-7841-031-4.
• Calpestare l'oblio edited by Davide Nota and Fabio Orecchini, 2010, Argo
• Acqua privata? no grazie, edited by Marco Cinque, 2011, Ilmiolibro
• Nisan – International Poetry Festival – Maghar, edited by Naim Araidi, 2012
• Heartfire – second revolutionary poets brigade, a cura di Jack Hirschman e Agneta Falk, 2013, Kallatumba Press, S. Francisco. ISBN 9780578127354.
• AA. VV. Manifest'Azioni dal Sottosuolo, a cura di A. Garbin, Seam Edizioni, 2014. ISBN 9788881795185.
• Poems for the Hazara, multilingual poetry anthology, 2014. ISBN 9780983770862.
• Jackissimo, antologia poetica dedicata a Jack Hirschman, a cura di A. Bava, Seam Edizioni, 2014. ISBN 9788881795222.
• AA. VV. SignorNò, poesie e scritti contro la guerra, a cura di M. Cinque e P. Rushton, Seam Edizioni, 2015. ISBN 9788881795314.
• AA. VV. Refugees, 15. Berlin International Literature Festival, 2015, Verlag Vorwerk. ISBN 978-3-940384-78-2.
• AA. VV. Woher ich nicht zurückkehren werde, Berliner Anthologie, Verlag Vorwerk 8. ISBN 978-3-940384-79-9.
• Raimondi Valeria; Costa Beppe; Hirschman Jack: Poetre II. Rrjedhë dallge që shtyn-L'onda dentro che sospinge, Gilgamesh Edizioni, 2016. ISBN 9788868671341.
• No resignación. Antología de Salamanca, a cura di Alfredo Peréz Alencart, Depósito Legal: S. 504-2016 Impreso en Salamanca, en los talleres de Gráficas Lope, 2017
• AA. VV. SignorNò, poesie e scritti contro la guerra, a cura di M. Cinque e P. Rushton, Nuova edizione, Associazione Pellicano, 2016. ISBN 9788899615154.
• AA. VV. LiberAzione poEtica, pref. Jack Hirschman, Pellicano, 2017. ISBN 9788899615277.
• AA. VV. Poeti da morire, a cura di Marco Cinque e Beppe Costa, Pellicano Sardegna, 2018. ISBN 978-88-31918-04-6.
• AA. VV. Giornata mondiale della poesia, Roma 2020
• AA. VV. D'amori, di delitti, di passioni, a cura di Beppe Costa e Vito Davoli, 2022. ISBN 979-84-20347-91-1.
• AA. VV. SignorNò!, a cura di Marco Cinque e Vito Davoli, 2022. ISBN 979-83-59054-91-1.
• AA.VV. Parole a(r)mate, Kondo 2023
• AA.VV. De aquende u allende, XXVI enccuentro del Poetas Iberoamericanos, Edifsa, 2024

Prose and poetry

Beppe Costa at Politeama Greco in Lecce

• Una poltrona comoda, Vincenzo di Maria editor, 1970
• Un po' d'amore, Muglia editions, 1975
• Metamorfosi di un concetto astratto in due tempi con accompagnamento di ottavino, (with a foreword by Dario Bellezza), Pellicanolibri, 1982
• Romanzo siciliano, Pellicanolibri, 1984
• Canto d'amore (with illustrations by Ivana Buschini), Pellicanolibri, 1986
• Fatto d'amore (with foreword by Dante Maffia), Pellicanolibri, 1987. ISBN 978-88-85881-01-3.
• Impaginato per affetto (with foreword by Giacinto Spagnoletti), Pellicanolibri, 1989
• Il male felice, Pellicanolibri, 1992
• Due o tre cose che so di lei (with foreword by Luce d'Eramo), Pellicanolibri, 1995. ISBN 978-88-85881-54-9.
• D'amore e d'altro (edited by Luce d'Eramo), Pellicanolibri, 1996. ISBN 9788885881624.
• Poesie per chi non sa fare altro, Pellicanolibri, 2002
• Anche ora che la luna, music CD with the composer Giovanni Renzo, 2009
• Anche ora che la luna (with letter of Adele Cambria), collections of poems, Multimedia editions 2010. ISBN 978-88-86203-55-5.
• Rosso, poesie d'amore e di rivolta edited by Andrea Garbin, with foreword by Mauro Macario, VoloPress Edizioni, 2012
• La terra (non è) il cielo!, Gilgamesh Edizioni 2014. ISBN 9788868670078.
• Dell'amore e d'altre abitudini, con Stefania Battistella, Pellicanolibri Edizioni 2014. ISBN 9788885881808.
• L'ultima nuvola, Pellicano 2015. ISBN 9788894117554.
• Rosso, poesie d'amore e di rivolta, in appendice "Lettera d'amore non spedita", Pellicano Associazione Culturale, 2016. ISBN 9788899615116.
• Per chi fa turni di notte, Pellicano Associazione Culturale, 2017. ISBN 9788899615406.
• Romanzo siciliano – La trilogia, Pellicano Associazione Culturale, 2017. ISBN 9788899615376.
• Il poeta che amava le donne (e parlava coi muri), Pellicano Sardegna, 2018. ISBN 9788831918053.
• Il poeta che amava le donne (e parlava coi muri), Pettirosso editore, 2019. ISBN 9788898965243.
• Nicola Alesini, Beppe Costa, Metà del tempo, poesia a due voci, Alfa Music EAN. 8032050021188.
• Dall'altra parte dell'orizzonte, a cura di Vito Davoli, Pellicano Cult / Amazon KDP 2022. ISBN 979-8370019920.
• La via semplice, plaquette da una poesia, con una foto di Dino Ignani e un aforisma critico di Ugo Magnanti, FusibiliaLibri, Anzio, 2023. ISBN 9788898649938