Fabiano Alborghetti (1970) is a poet and cultural promoter. He writes in Italian and lives in Ticino (Switzerland).
He has published eight books of poetry, as well as several chapbooks and artist books. His poems have been translated into more than ten languages and have appeared in journals, anthologies, or in full-length collections.
He is listed as a reference author in the literature section of the Lonely Planet Switzerland guidebook.
For the books translated into English, check them out [here].
His poems have been translated -whether for magazines, anthologies, or in unabridged editions- into more than ten languages.
He is also the first author from Italian-speaking Switzerland to be included in an issue of the scientific journal Scientific American.
He is currently a member of the scientific board of the Chiassoletteraria Festival, the Lettere dalla Svizzera alla Valposchiavo festival, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Poetry Series for the Swiss-based publishing house Gabriele Capelli Editore. He also manages the Swiss-Italian section of Letture sul Sofà / Sofalesungen / Lectures Canap.
Since 2025, he’s a columnist for the radio format Kappa & Spalla (Swiss Broadcastin System RSI Rete Due).
Previous cultural engagements:
- 2018–2025: co-founder, President and Artistic Director of the Casa della Letteratura / Literaturhaus
- 2019-2026: Board of Directors of ASSI, Swiss Authors’ Association
- 2019–2021: Editorial board member of the international magazine Caravansary, sponsored by the publishing house Uniediciones Sello Editorial (Ibáñez Group), for which he oversaw the Swiss literature section. The magazine hosts collaborators from 14 countries and is distributed throughout Latin America.
- 2017–2019: Board of directors of AdS (Swiss Writers Association), for which he continues to work on the House of Literature project based in Lugano.
- 2014–2020: Scientific committee member of the Babel Festival
- 2014–2017: Editor-in-Chief of the poetry journal Atelier
- 2010–2012: Artistic director for both Switzerland and Italy of the poetry festival PoesiaPresente
He coordinated an anthology of Swiss-Italian poets published in Poland, as well as three anthologies of Ticino poetry for the Swedish literary journal Staden. He is continuously promoting translation projects of Swiss and Italian poets abroad, as well as bringing international poets to be translated into Italian.
He has also written literary criticism for both web and print publications. He founded literary journals, curated dedicated columns, designed radio formats, and created poetry projects for prisons, schools, and hospitals. He collaborates with several publishing houses and has supported the publication of both emerging writers and internationally renowned poets, including Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie, Janet Frame (the first European translations of her poetry), and Seamus Heaney.
In 2019, he succeeded in hosting Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka as guest of honor at the Chiassoletteraria Festival.
In addition to working with various publishers, he has collaborated with the Fondazione Sasso Corbaro for Medical Humanities by participating in speaking engagements connecting literature and healthcare practices.
Occasionally, he works as a translator into Italian. Among his translated works are poems by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and Kurt Marti (included in the anthology Poetry of German Switzerland Translated by Poets, Crocetti, 2017), and lyrics from English and French, including for the show Partir by Swiss-Albanian singer-songwriter Elina Duni (Swiss Music Award, 2017).
In January 2015, he was invited by the Municipality of Lugano to deliver a poetic speech during the New Year’s Ceremony held at the Congress Palace.
In 2019, the Swiss Broadcasting System RSI (Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana) produced and aired a full version of his poetry novel Maiser as a radio drama.
Thanks to support from the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, he has officially represented Ticino, Switzerland, and the Italian language at festivals both nationally and internationally.
AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
Pro Helvetia Literary Grant, 2008
Pro Helvetia Literary Grant, 2014
UBS Creation Grant, 2020
Landis & Gyr Creation Grant, 2020
Pro Helvetia Literary Grant, 2025
Premio Ultima Frontiera, 2013
Premio Internazionale Alda Merini, 2017
Swiss Literature Prize, 2018
Premio Ustanova Velenjska knjižna fundacija (Slovenia), 2022
Premio Galbiate, 2022
Finalist for the Premio Pagliarani, 2022
Candidate for the Premio Strega Poesia, 2023
Finalist for the Premio Carducci, 70th edition, 2026
PHOTOGALLERY
Photos by Ladina Bischof:
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Photos by Michela Di Savino