After earning a B.A. in Modern Humanities from the University of Bari (cum laude) and an M.A. in Italian Studies from the University of Bologna (cum laude), Antonio Pilagatti’s research unfolds along two intertwined paths at The Ohio State University.

On one side, he is drawn to literary theory, focusing on what it means to tell a story, what it implies and which disciplines come into play. He is particularly interested in core narrative structures, which he explores through antithetical pairs: novel/short story, realism/fantastic, truth/fiction, space/time. An adage informs his idea of literature: Can we put a dream into words?

On the other side, he investigates Italian literature in its historical and cultural specificity, from the rupture of the 1970s to the most recent trends in contemporary writing. His research focuses on the link between narrative and crisis, and questions whether, in the past decades, Italy has missed the appointment with the "great novel," leaving behind a lost generation of writers overwhelmed by global media and publishing market demands. Leitmotif: Can we put trauma into words?