Born at Bagheria , Italy into a merchant 's family , after having taken part in World War I Buttitta joined the Italian Socialist Party and around this time started to write poetry in Sicilian . His first volume of poetry published was '' Sintimintali '' ( Sentimental ) , followed in 1928 by '' Marabedda '' . Soon after , Buttitta relocated to Milan , where he achieved some success in the commercial world while continuing to pursue his passion for literature . Due to his political leanings , he had to leave Milan during World War II ; after which he joined the Resistance , was jailed by the fascists , and narrowly avoided the death penalty , before returning to Milan , where he spent time with Sicilian intellectuals such as Elio Vittorini , Salvatore Quasimodo and Renato Guttuso . In 1954 he published his new book of poetry , '' Lu pani si chiama pani '' ( The bread is called bread ) , financed by the Italian Communist Party . In this volume he defined himself as '' Pueta e latru '' ( Poet and thief ) , an allusion to the manner in which he would pass among the people like a thief , appropriating their feelings , leaving behind a sentimental thread . This was especially the case in relation to his nostalgia for his homeland , but there are also more socially-oriented themes , in particular , protests against the social situation of Italy and Sicily , such as '' A stragi di Purtedda '' ( 1947 , about Salvatore Giuliano and the Portella della Ginestra massacre ) , and '' Lamentu per la morte di Turiddu Carnevale '' ( 1956 , about Salvatore Carnevale - a Sicilian trade unionist from Sciara who was killed by the Mafia on 16 May 1955 - and his mother Francesca Serio )
Portella della Ginestra massacre
Portella della Ginestra massacre
Ignazio Buttitta