Pasquale Panella


Pasquale Panella is an Italian lyricist, playwright, poet and novelist. He sometimes used the pen names Duchesca and Vanera.

Life and career

Born in Rome, after graduating from the Istituto Magistrale Panella started his career as author and sometimes also actor of avant-garde theatre. In 1976 he began collaborating as a lyricist with Enzo Carella, notably writing the lyrics of "Barbara", which placed second at the 29th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival.
In 1983 Panella was commissioned by Lucio Battisti the lyrics of the Battisti-produced Adriano Pappalardo's album Oh! Era Ora; starting from the 1986 album Don Giovanni, he then became the lyricist of the Battisti's following albums. In the second half of the 1980s he also started a successful and sometimes uncredited collaboration with Amedeo Minghi. His collaborations also include Zucchero Fornaciari, Mina, Mango, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Gianni Morandi, Angelo Branduardi, Marcella Bella, Anna Oxa, Mietta, Sergio Cammariere, Mino Reitano.
Also active as novelist and poet, he collaborated with Riccardo Cocciante writing the lyrics of the Italian versions of the stage musicals Notre-Dame de Paris and Giulietta e Romeo. His surreal and sometimes hermetic writing style has been variously described as dadaist, minimalist, avant-garde, and miniaturist.

Literary works

;Novels
;Collections of poems