The Italian playwright Ugo Betti (1892-1953) was one of the major figures of Italian theater in the 20th century. In his plays the question of guilt, justice, and redemption is of central concern.

Ugo Betti was born on Feb. 4, 1892, in Camerino. He was educated in Parma, where his family had moved. During World War I he fought as a volunteer artillery officer. After the war he took a degree in law and was a judge in the court of Parma until 1930, when he was transferred to Rome. In 1941 Betti received the Italian Academy's theater award. Following World War II he took a position at the library of the Ministry of Justice in Rome, which allowed him to devote more time to his writing. In 1949 he won the award of the Istituto Nazionale del Dramma, and in 1950 he received the Premio Roma. In the same year he became counselor...