Nanni Balestrini's work represents one of the major expressions of the Neo-avant-garde movement that swept through Italian literature in the 1960s. Through his writing Balestrini strives to revive language in a world in which he believes the social structure, with its ever-increasing alienation of classes and compartmentalization of individual roles, has irremediably destroyed meaningful communication. To counter this trend Balestrini seeks to affirm language as the object of artistic expression. Hence the daring technical experimentations that mark his literary career: from the device of collage to the use of the computer Balestrini aims to create an art product that is new and revolutionary with respect to both its syntax and its affinity with the spoken language.

Born in Milan on 2 July 1935, Balestrini enrolled in the school of engineering at the Università Cattolica in that city. Later he broadened his interests by studying economics and political science. He...