FERRUA, Pietro. Interpreter, Founder of anarchist research centers in several countries, Author and Artist

FERRUA, Pietro (Piero) Michele Stefano (1930 - ....)

Born in San Remo (Italy), Pietro Ferrua joined the anarchist movement in 1945. He participated the next year in the foundation of the Anarchist Federation of San Remo, Italy and was sent as a delegate to the Regional Congress of the Anarchist Federation of Liguria. During these years he participated in the activities of the Parisian Students Libertarian Circle and wrote in the publications of the Italian Group "Anarchismo" which was located in Napes and Palermo.
Ferrua became in 1950 the first person legally recognized by an Italian court as an anarchist conscientious objector. In 1953 he participated in the foundation of the review Senza Limiti; he also contributed to the organization of the first International Anarchist Campings (Cecina 1953, Marina di Carrara 1954). In 1955, while present at the Salernes (France) International Camping of the Jeunesses libertaires, he founds the clandestine solidarity network for French and Algerian conscientious objectors and deserters under the sponsorship of the Nel. In 1956, together with Claudio Cantini, he resumes the publication of the Risveglio Anarchico which had disappeared with the death of its editor Luigi Bertoni. The next year, he founds in Geneva (Switzerland) the International Research Center on Anarchism (CIRA). He initiates in 1958 the Swiss section of the Antifascist International Solidarity.
Expelled from Switzerland in 1963 he settles in Brazil where he founds the Brazilian Center of International Studies as well as the Brazilian section of the International Research Center on Anarchism. His various activities displeased the Brazilian military and he was arrested with fifteen comrades in October 1969 and deported in 1969. He exiled himself in the United States.
In 1970 he started teaching in a university and took the opportunity to deepen his previous research on artistic and literary avant-guards, the Mexican revolution, etc. These works were published in a dozen of books and many articles in academic journals, anarchist publications. After a conference on anarchism at the Philosophical Circle, the Department of Philosophy of his university offered him a graduate course on Anarchism; this occasioned the First International Anarchist Symposium in Portland, Oregon, in 1980, which gathered a few hundred researchers and activists during a whole week of debates, shows, concerts, exhibits, etc.
He participates in 1987 in the foundation of the Anarchos Istitute in Montreal (Canada) and in 1992 is one of the official speakers at the Convention "Outros Quinhentos" organized by the Catholic Pontifical University of Sao Paolo in Brazil.
Pietro Ferrua is married and the father of two children.
French Publications
Italian and other languages
Professional Activities
Pedro Ferrua is Professor Emeritus since 1987 and now devotes his time to the diffusion of anarchism as an orator, a researcher and an essayist.
Translator for various publications and organizations, including FIM, FMI, IAEA, IAF, ICAA, IDF, IMF, IPTT, ISP, OAS, RAI, SUDENE, UAW, UC, UNESCO, UNITAR, UNO, WHO.
Conference Interpreter on all continents for Heads of States and Governments, including Argentina Presidents Illia and Frondizi, Belgium’s King Baldwin, Brazil’s Presidents Castello Branco, Costa e Silva, Goulart, Kubitscheck, Quadros, Chile’s President Frei, Costa Rica’s Presidents Pepe Figueres, Rafael Angel Calderón, Denmark’s Prime Minister Poul Marup Rasmussen, Italy’s President Saragat, Luxembourg’s Great Duke Jean, Portugal’s President Soares, Spain’s King Juan Carlos and President González, Sweden’s Prime Minister Olof Palme, USA’s Presidents Clinton, Reagan, Carter and Vatican Cardinal Cicognani.
Books and Pamphlets:
Conversations about Letterism ( in collaboration with Maurice Lemaître) (Paris: Bureaugraph, 1997).
INI ART USA. Individual Expressions Within The International Group. Espressioni individuali in seno al gruppo internazionale. Bilingual illustrated edition- English and Italian (Portland: Avant-Garde, 1996) cover illustration by Paul Lambert.
The Tenderness Song in Santiago de Santiago (Portland: House of Albi, 1988) cover illustration by Santiago de Santiago Hernández.
John Kenneth Turner: A Portlander in the Mexican Revolution (Portland: Lewis and Clark College, 1983
Anarchists seen by Painters (Portland: Lewis and Clark, 1980, 2nd ed., 1988)
Anarchists in Films (Portland: Lewis and Clark, 1980) 2nd ed., 1983
Editor
Some Papers of the First International Symposium on Anarchism. (Berrima: Libertarian Microforms, 1988)
Contributor to Collective Works
Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature, 2nd ed., 1980. Entries contributed: "Cioran", pp.163-64; "Saporta", p. 714
Critical Bibliography of French Literature. Vol. VI: Twentieth Century by Douglas W. Alden and Richard A. Brooks, eds. (Syracuse University Press, 1980). Entries: "Cioran", pp. 1397-98; "Isou", 1788-91; "Peyrefitte", 1735-38; Saporta,1509-10.
Articles
"Discovering (Abstract) Kinokaleidographs (Through the film Propos contemporains sur la femme décousue)" Montreal Serai, 2012.
“Romanian Avant-Gardes as Export Products: The Case of Isidore Isou and Letterism” in Papers for the Fifth Congress of South-east European Studies, edited by Kot K. Shangriladze and Erica W. Townsend for the US National Committee of the AIESE (Columbus: Slavica Publishers, 1984), 139-144
“Researching Letterism” in Visible Language, XVII, 3 (Fall 1983), 84-93 and in Lettrisme Into The Present (Iowa City: The University of Iowa Museum of Art, 1983)
“The Romanian Roots of Cioran” in Balkanisticaø, VI (1980), 88-95
Literature and Other Arts (Innsbruck: Amoe, 1981), 309-313
“Record of the Workshop Discussion on the Avant-Garde” in Actes du VIIIe Congrès de l’Association Internationale de Littérature Comparée, (Budapest: Akademiai Kiadó, n.d.) 929-931
“The Presence of Pascal in the Work of Cioran” in Yearbook of Romanian Studies, 2, 2 (1977), 23-35
“Antonioni’s Interpretation of Reality and Literature” in Forum Italicum, 13, 1 (Spring 1979), 82-9
“Futurism in Brazil” in Neohelicon, 5, 2 (1977), 185-194
“Marienbad” in Spectrum: Magazine of the Arts, I, 3 (1977)
“Macedonio Fernández and Jorge Luis Borges” in International Fiction Review, 3, 2 (July 1976), 133-13
“Blow-Up: from Cortázar to Antonioni” in Literature/Film Quarterly, 4, 1 (Winter 1976), 68-75
He has also Published in
Canada: Literary Research/Recherche Littéraire
Great Britain: Anarchist Review
USA: Cinemonkey; Clio; Forum Italicum; The Oregonian; Regeneracion; Social Anarchism; Spectrum.
Editor of Newsletter of the First International Symposium on Anarchism (Portland, 1979-80).
Occitan and Catalan Studies (Co-editor) 1979.
Exhibitions -
Modern Art Museum, Kimi (Finland), August 1994
“Artisti INI in America” at Fetis, in Chieti, 1992
“Mostra libri oggetto e d’artista”, Pescara: Università degli Studi G.D Annunzio November 5-7, 1992, on the occasion of the Convegno Internazionale Di qua e di là della parola. La Lettera e il Segno nelle Scritture contemporanee: Object-Book: Dada-INI
“Dopo Rimbaud”, May 23-June 15, 1992 at Angelus Novus e Centro Studi Culturali Regione Abruzzo, L’Aquila, Italy
“Dérèglement Rimbaldien”, mixed media, cm.42.5 x 42.5, 1991
“Rimbaud e l’Avanguardia”, a multimedia exhibit held at Torre Ciarrapico, Francavilla al Mare, Italy, from December 12, 1991 to January 12, 1992
“Three Object-Books” at the “Mostra del Libro Oggetto” in Chieti (Italy), Palazzo della Provincia, Oct, 22-29, 1988. One of the pieces, “Il tempo ritrovato”, cm. 21 x 31, is reproduced in the Exhibition Catalog Che cos è il libroggetto by Gabriele-Aldo Bertozzi (Chieti: Vecchio Faggio, 1989), 38-39
The multimedia piece “Ode à l’anarchie” (Op. 1, “Sonate en cinq mouvements”, pour piano, tambours, téléphone, fusils et acteurs) is reproduced in Sextant (Paris) n. 1, August 1985 and also in CPCA, n. 33 (April-June 1986)
Founder of
Centre International de Recherches sur l’Anarchisme in Geneva, Switzerland, 1957
Centro Brasileiro de Estudos Internacionais, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1965
Recipient of Honors and Awards
HONORARY MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL CENTRE ADVISORY COUNCIL, CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND, FEBR. 22, 1999
Gabriele-Aldo Bertozzi Avant-Garde Award at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, on September 21, 1998.
Professor Emeritus, Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Oregon) 1987
Cittadino Benemerito, San Remo, Italy, October 13, 1984
Society Paul Claudel of the Pacific, Honorary Member
Knights for Oustanding Services, Lewis and Clark College, May Fête 1972.
Conference Organizer
First International Symposium on Anarchism, Lewis and Clark College, February 17-24, 1980
First International Symposium on Letterism, Lewis and Clark College, May 24-29, 1976.
Presentations as Invited Lecturer
“INI in America” at the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, September 21, 1998
“Antecedents-John Kenneth Turner” at Oregon History Center f or “The John Reed/Louise Bryant Multi-Media Festival, Oct. 21, 1997
“French Women Writers” (in French) at Le Cercle Français, First Congregational Church, Portland, February 20, 1995
“Italy Today” at Lewis and Clark College, April 8, 1981
“1001 Reasons to Study Italian” at Lewis and Clark College, May 19, 1976
“Relevance of Pirandello in Today s World” at Portland State University, Institute of Italian Culture, May 8, 1972
As Interviewee on Radio and Television
“Letterism and I.N.I.” TV Interview with Stevie Pierce and Paul Lambert on “Where is the Art?” Liberty Cable, TCI, Channel 33 Portland, Oregon, July 19, 1989
“Eurocommunism” with Allan Kittell for The World Press at Oregon Public Broadcast Station, Channel 10, Portland, Oregon, April 11, 1980
“Anarchism and the Mexican Revolution”, Roundtable at Lewis and Clark College, February 22, 1980
“What is Letterism?” Interview at the Benson Hotel on May 24, 1976, for OPBS.
Member of Committees
Member of the Task Force of the Governor’s Commission on Foreign Languages and International Studies, Committee 3, Salem, Oregon 1981
Eighth Congress of the International Comparative Literature Association, at the Academy of Sciences, Budapest, August 12-17, 1976: Secretary of the Workshop discussion group n. 51 on the Beginnings of the Twentieth Century
Pacific Northwest Conference on Foreign Languages, member of the Jury of Readers for the Oregon Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French, 1972
Northwest Brazilian Center, Director of Cultural Activities and member of the Board of Directors, 1972
American Association of Teachers of French, Oregon Chapter, Vice-President for 1972-73, President, 1973-74
Oregon Association of Foreign Language Teachers, Chairman of the French Section at the State Conference, October 13-14, 1972
Pacific Northwest Conference on Foreign Languages, Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting, May 4-5, 1973, Orcas Islands: Chairman of the Luso-Brazilian Section
Panelist in several local and regional meetings
Consultant for the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Member of Associations
AA.I.I.C. (International Association of Conference Interpreters), Paris-Geneva
American Association of Teachers of French
American Association of Teachers of Italian
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
American Association of University Professors of Italian
American Comparative Literature Association
American Film Institute
Association for the Study of Dada and Surrealism
International Association for Philosophy and Literature
Latin American Studies AssociationNational Writers Association
Oregon Foreign Language Council
Pacific Northwest Council on Foreign Languages
Philological Association of the Pacific Coast
Romanian Study Group
Society for Romanian Studies
T.A.A.L.S. (The American Association of Language Specialists)
The Translators and Interpreters Guild of America
Subject in Biographical Publications
2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 20th Century, Cambridge, 2000
International Man of the Year, Cambridge, 1999-2000
Who’s Who in America,54th edition (New Providence, Marquis, 1999)
Directory of American Scholars, 8th ed., vol. 3 (New York and London: Bowker , 1982 )
Men of Achievement, vol. 7 (Cambridge: International Bibliographical Center)
Who’s Who in the West, 18th ed. (Chicago: Marquis)
Guida Monaci: Annuario Generale Italiano (Roma: Monaci)
The Faculty Directory of Higher Education: Language and Literature Faculty (Detroit: Gale, 1988)
5,000 Personalities of the World, 2nd Ed.(American Biographical Institute Media Research Center).
Dictionary of International Biography, 27th Edition.