Tiziano Terzani facts for kids

Tiziano Terzani (Italian: [titˈtsjaːno terˈtsaːni]; born September 14, 1938 – died July 28, 2004) was an Italian journalist and writer. He was famous for knowing a lot about East Asia in the 1900s. He was also one of the few Western reporters who saw important events happen. He witnessed the fall of Saigon to the Viet Cong and the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1970s.

Early Life and Education

Tiziano Terzani was born in Florence, Italy. His parents were not rich; his mother made hats and his father worked in a mechanic shop.

He went to the University of Pisa to study law. He also studied at a special school called Collegio Medico-Giuridico, which is now the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.

After finishing his studies, he worked for a company called Olivetti. In 1965, he traveled to Japan for work. This trip was his first time in Asia. It made him want to change his life and explore Asia more. He started writing for a newspaper called l'Astrolabio. Later, he left Olivetti and moved to New York. There, he studied Chinese language and culture at Columbia University.

Becoming a Journalist

Tiziano Terzani started his career as a journalist at Il Giorno. In 1971, he moved to Singapore with his wife, Angela Staude, and their two young children. He became the Asian reporter for a German weekly magazine called Der Spiegel. He also worked for Italian newspapers like Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica.

Terzani knew a lot about Asia's history and politics. He was also very interested in the ideas and beliefs of Asian cultures. Even though he didn't follow a religion, he always looked for the spiritual side of the places he visited. He lived in many Asian cities for years, including Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and New Delhi.

While working in Hong Kong, he had a Chinese name, 鄧天諾 (Deng Tiannuo). This name meant "heavenly promise." His time in Beijing ended in 1984. He was arrested and asked to leave the country for what was called "activities against the government." After this, he stopped using his Chinese name. He wrote a book about his experiences in China called La Porta Proibita (Behind The Forbidden Door).

His Books and Writings

Terzani wrote many articles, essays, and books about his experiences in Asia.

Early Books About War

In his first book, Pelle di leopardo (Leopard Hide) (1973), he wrote about the last parts of the Vietnam War. His next book, Giai Phong! The Fall and Liberation of Saigon, tells the story of how the Vietcong took over Vietnam's capital. He stayed there and saw the changes happening.

A few years later, he almost died while trying to report on the new government in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge tried to harm him when he arrived in a town called Poipet. He saved himself because he knew the Chinese language.

Travels and Philosophy

One of his most famous books is Un indovino mi disse (A Fortune-Teller Told Me). In this book, Terzani describes his travels across Asia by land and sea. He did this because a fortune teller in Hong Kong told him to avoid airplanes for all of 1993. A famous Polish traveler, Ferdynand Ossendowski, is also mentioned in the book. Another well-known journalist, Ryszard Kapuściński, said it was "A great book written in the best traditions of literary journalism."

After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, he wrote Lettere contro la guerra (Letters Against the War). This book was his response to strong opinions against Islam that another Italian journalist had published.

Later Life and Legacy

In his last book, Un altro giro di giostra (One More Ride on the Merry-go-round), published in 2001, Terzani wrote about his illness. He had bowel cancer, which eventually led to his death in 2004. But before he died, he traveled to many countries and cultures. He was looking for a cure and a new way to see life. He wrote: "...after a while, the goal of my journey was not the cure for my cancer anymore, but for the sickness which affects all of us: mortality."

In the early 2000s, Terzani lived in a small hut in the Himalayas mountains. He went there to meditate and work on his books. He only visited his family in Italy sometimes. But when his sickness got worse, he had to leave his isolation. He returned to Italy and spent his last months with his wife and grown son in Orsigna. This is a small village in the Apennine Mountains in Pistoia, which he called "his true, last love."

Tiziano Terzani died on July 28, 2004, at 65 years old. His last thoughts were shared in an interview for Italian television called "Anam." This is an Indian word meaning "the one with no name." He got this name during a spiritual experience in India.

His Last Book and a Movie

His final book, La fine è il mio inizio (The End Is My Beginning), was written with his son Folco. It was published after his death in March 2006. It sold many copies very quickly.

Many of his books have been translated into different languages. These include German, French, Polish, Spanish, and Japanese.

A movie called The End Is My Beginning was made based on his last book. It shows his final days in the summer of 2004. In the movie, he tells his son Folco about his life's adventures, his travels, and his thoughts on life and death. The actor Bruno Ganz played Terzani, and Elio Germano played his son. The movie was well-received in Europe.

Books Published in English

• Giai Phong! The Fall and Liberation of Saigon (1976)
• Behind The Forbidden Door: Travels in Unknown China (1985)
• Goodnight, Mr Lenin: A Journey Through the End of the Soviet Empire (1993)
• A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earth-bound Travels in the Far East (1997)
• Letters Against the War (2002)
• One More Ride on the Merry-Go-Round (2016)

Books Published in Italian

• Pelle di leopardo. Diario vietnamita di un corrispondente di guerra 1972-1973 (1973)
• Giai Phong! La liberazione di Saigon (1976)
• La porta proibita (1984)
• Buonanotte, signor Lenin (1992)
• Un indovino mi disse (1995)
• In Asia (1998)
• Lettere contro la guerra (2002)
• Un altro giro di giostra (2004)
• La fine è il mio inizio (2006)
• Fantasmi: dispacci dalla Cambogia (2008)
• Un’idea di destino: Diari di una vita straordinaria (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Tiziano Terzani para niños