Cesare Pavese, een man alleen

The writings of the Italian author Cesare Pavese (1908-1950) are characterised by their very auto-biographical nature. Imagination and reality are closely linked in his books. With recurring themes such as the loss of youth or a loved one or the loneliness of an outsider, Pavese revealed that he had not mastered the craft of living. In 1950 he committed suicide. The documentary provides a picture of Pavese's life. Four quotes put into pictures illustrate several aspects that were of great influence on his life and work: his feeling of 'freedom' in the countryside as opposed to 'imprisonment' in his home town of Turin, where he also worked; his relationship with America; his forced working discipline versus indecision in love and political energy and finally Pavese's art of dying.