Tullio Avoledo

Tullio Avoledo (born June 1, 1957) is an Italian writer, author of the novels The Roots of Heaven, The Children's Crusade, and The Conclave of Darkness.

Biography
Tullio Avoledo was born on June 1, 1957 in the municipality of Valvasone, province of Pordenone, administrative region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. After obtaining a degree in law, he worked as a legal advisor for banks.

His first novel, L'elenco telefonico di Atlantide, published in January 2003 by the small Italian publisher Sironi, became a bestseller and won the Fort Village Montblanc Award for Best Debutante Writer. Avoledo showed an ability to engage the reader in science fiction as a mysterious global conspiracy involving a hero similar in some way to the author himself. In November of that year his second novel, Mare di Bering, was published.

His last novel published by Sironi was Lo stato dell'unione (2005). The same year his first novel, published by Einaudi, one of the most famous Italian publishers (who also published pocket editions of the first two), was published under the title Tre sono le cose misteriose. With this fourth book, Avoledo won the prestigious Grinzane Prize in 2006.

The next novel, Breve storia di lunghi tradimenti about how the characters (such as Giulio Rovedo and Cecilia Mazzi) and the setting of L'elenco telefonico di Atlantide are revisited (even if it is about some significant differences), with a new plot in a world of global economy and industrial delocalization. The film based on this novel, directed by David Marengo and starring Guido Firma, Carolina Crescentini, Maya Sansa and Philippe Leroy, was released in cinemas in mid-2012.

La ragazza di Vajont describes a dystopian alternative Italy, constrained by a seemingly endless winter dominated by a fascist regime.

L'ultimo giorno felice is a short novel that Avoledo wrote for Legambiente, about an environmental organization in Italy. The plot centers on the misfires of a young architect, Francesco Salvador, who sells his soul to the mafia for money. The novel describes Francesco's last hours, his exclusive tour of the Venice Lagoon.

Science fiction is often present in Avoledo's works. The novel L'anno dei dodici inverni (2009) is about time travel deals, love and redemption, mixed with a science fiction theme and a pessimistic narrative. Another science fiction novel, Un buon posto per morire, was published in 2011 in collaboration with David "Busta" Dileo, keyboardist from the band Turinese Subsonica. The novel won the 2012 Emilio Salgari Prize for best Italian adventure novel.

Avoledo's first novel written for the Metro 2033 Universe project was Le radici del cielo. The book was published in Italy in November 2011 by Multiplayer.it. In Russia, the novel, whose title was translated as Roots of Heaven, came out in February 2012 (AST Publishing House).

In 2014 a sequel, La Crociata dei Bambini, was published. In Russia it was published by AST in November 2014 under the title The Children's Crusade. Two years later released the novel Chiedi alla luce through Marsilio Publishers.

2018 was a rather eventful year in the author's life. The novel Furland® (Chiarelettere Publishers) was released, and the translation of the final part of his trilogy for the Metro Universe began. In the spring of March 5, 2018, Tullio Avoledo ran for the Italian Senate as a member of the Friulian party Patto per l'Autonomia.

In March 2019, the third novel in the cycle, Il conclave delle tenebre (The Conclave of Darkness), part of the Metro Universe 2035 series, was released.