Emilio Villa

Emilio Villa (Milan, 21 September 1914 – Rieti, 14 January 2003) was an Italian poet, visual artist, translator, art critic and Bible scholar. His poems reflected his knowledge of modern and ancient languages, including Italian, French, English, Latin, Greek, Sumerian, and Akkadian.

Most of Villa’s writing were printed by small publishing houses throughout Italy, and many are unavailable today. He translated the Babylonian creation epic, Enuma Elis, Homer’s Odyssey, and several books of the Hebrew Scriptures, including the first five books of Moses (Pentateuch), Job, Proverbs, and Song of Songs.

In 1950, Villa moved to Brazil, where he became involved with the Brazilian "concrete poets" Haroldo de Campos and Augusto de Campos in São Paulo. He later returned to Rome where he got involved with the local art scene, working with artists such as Alberto Burri, Sante Monachesi, Mario Schifano and later Gino De Dominicis. He died in Rieti in 2003.