Mario Petrucci

Mario Petrucci (born 1958) is a British poet, literary translator, educator and broadcaster. He was born in Lambeth, London and trained as a physicist at Selwyn College in the University of Cambridge, later completing a PhD in vacuum crystal growth at University College London. He is also an ecologist, having a BA in Environmental Science from Middlesex University.[1] Petrucci was the first poet to be resident at the Imperial War Museum[2] and with BBC Radio 3.[3][4][5] He has broadcast widely on radio, including BBC Radio’s Kaleidoscope, London Nights, Sunday Feature, Night Waves, The Verb and BBC World Service, as well as on BBC TV.[6]

Mario Petrucci
Born	Mario Petrucci Lambeth, London, UK
Occupation	Poet, physicist, ecologist
Nationality	British
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Alma mater	University of Cambridge, University College London, Middlesex University
Genre	Poetry, Science, Education
Website
mariopetrucci.com

Petrucci's debut, Shrapnel and Sheets (1996), won a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.[7] 2018 saw the publication by Bloodaxe Books of his English versions of the Persian mystic poet Hafez, and in 2022 he was invited by the Society of Authors to judge the John Florio Prize for Italian translation. Petrucci's poetry has been published in such outlets as The Spectator and The Independent, and noted in the Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian; his diverse collections draw inspiration situationally from key cultural sites, or explore his core themes of love/loss, the tragedies of warfare, and science in the natural world.[8]

Petrucci's poems, short stories, articles and essays frequently investigate cross-disciplinary concerns (creativity, politics, science, the environment)[9][10] including, for instance, the role of eco-art in dissolving society's resistance to pro-environmental change.[11] He has also been much involved in the educational sector[12][13][14], in creative writing and literary mentoring, melding scientific and ecological awareness with creative writing praxis.[15][16][17] As poet-educator, Petrucci has engaged with a range of cultural organisations, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Charles Dickens Museum, Southwell Workhouse, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the European Space Agency, the London School of Economics, the Wellcome Foundation, and the Natural History Museum, London; he was also Royal Literary Fund Fellow on four occasions, at Oxford Brookes University, University of Westminster, Brunel University London, and the City and Guilds of London Art School.[18]

Petrucci's poetry has also been deployed in a number of films. For instance, Heavy Water: a film for Chernobyl and Half Life: a Journey to Chernobyl were based on his award-winning poetry collection on Chernobyl. Produced by Seventh Art Productions,[19] these films have garnered awards such as the Cinequest as well as screenings on mainstream television and at major cultural venues such as Tate Modern (in 2007). 2012 saw Petrucci shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award[20] with a vast poetry soundscape (among the largest ever created) entitled Tales from the Bridge.[21][22][23][24][25] This installation spanned the Thames (on the Millennium Bridge, London) as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Collaborators for the project included Martyn Ware (The Human League) and Eric Whitacre, whose music was used.