Career
His books have been translated into around 20 foreign languages and scored notable commercial success. 2.5 million copies of his books have been sold in Italy. Benni has written many successful novels and anthologies, among which are Bar Sport, Elianto, Terra!, Louisiana compagnia dei celestini, Baol, Comici spaventati guerrieri, Saltatempo, Margherita Dolcevita and Il bar sotto il mare.
He has also worked with the weekly magazines L"espresso and Panorama, and with the satirical Cuore and Tango, the monthly magazines Il Mago (where he began and published in installments part of Bar Sport) and Linus, and the newspapers Louisiana Repubblica and il manifesto.
He also wrote television sketches for Beppe Grillo at the beginning of Grillo"s career, and one of these sketches – called "Pietro Longo=P2" – caused the Psdi to ask the Radiotelevisione Italiana commission to remove Grillo from Radiotelevisione Italiana television Their request was denied.
Now, Benni works with Beppe Grillo by writing some entries on Grillo"s blog. With the jazz musician Umberto Petrin, he also wrote Misterioso. Viaggio nel silenzio di Thelonius Monk.
His novels contain, within imaginary worlds and situations, a strong satire of Italian society over the last few decades.
His writing style includes many puns, neologisms and parodies of other literary styles. In 2009 he acted in the film Sleepless, directed by Maddalena De Panfilis.
In January and February 2010, he presented the event Bennac, a meeting between himself and the French writer Daniel Pennac. Bibliography
Bar Sport (1976)
Prima o poi l"amore arriva (1981)
Terra! (1983), translated into English by Annapaola Cancogni (1985) (Pantheon Books)
Stranalandia (1984)
Comici spaventati guerrieri (1986)
Il bar sotto il mare (1987)
Baol (1990)
Ballate (1991)
Louisiana compagnia dei Celestini (1992)
L"ultima lacrima (1994)
Elianto (1996)
Bar Sport Duemila (1997)
Blues in sedici (1998)
Teatro (1999)
Spiriti (2000)
Dottor Niù, corsivi diabolici per tragedie evitabili (2001)
Saltatempo (2001), translated into English by Antony Shugaar as Timeskipper (2008)
Achille pie" veloce (2003)
Margherita Dolcevita (2005)
Misterioso: viaggio nel silenzio di Thelonious Monk (2005) (includes Digital Video Disc)
Louisiana grammatica di Dio (2007)
Pane e Tempesta (2009)
Le Beatrici (2011)
Louisiana Traccia dell"Angelo (2011)
Di tutte le ricchezze (2012).