Scent of a Woman

Giovanni Arpino (1927 – 1987) was an Italian writer and journalist. Born in Pula, he married Caterina Brero before moving to Turin, where he would remain for the rest of his life. In 1952 Arpino made his literary debut with the novel Sei stato felice, Giovanni, published by Einaudi. He also took up sports journalism, writing for daily papers; he brought a new literary quality to Italian writing on sport. His most important work in this line was the 1977 football novel Azzurro tenebra. Arpino also wrote plays, short stories, epigrams and stories for children. His story Il buio e il miele was made into two films: Dino Risi's Profumo di donna, with Vittorio Gassman, and Martin Brest's Scent of a Woman, which earnt Al Pacino an Academy Award for Best Actor. Arpino died in Turin in 1987.