Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, film director, writer, screenwriter, actor and playwright. He is considered one of the defining public intellectuals in 20th-century Italy, influential both as an artist and a political figure. A controversial personality due to his straightforward style, Pasolini's legacy remains contentious. Openly gay and a strong advocate for Christian values in his youth, he also became an avowed Marxist shortly after the end of World War II, while voicing strong criticism of petty bourgeoisie values and the emerging consumerism in Italy, juxtaposing socio-political polemics with a critical examination of taboo sexual matters. A prominent protagonist of the Roman cultural scene of the post-war period, he was an established major figure in European literature and cinema. Pasolini's unsolved murder in Ostia in November 1975 prompted an outcry in Italy, and its circumstances continue to be a matter of heated debate. Leads link the murder to the Banda della Magliana, a criminal organisation with ties to right-wing terrorism, as culprits. Biography