He’s an author of novels translated into many languages: Lands of Glass (1991), Ocean Sea (1993), Silk (1996), City (1999), Without
Blood (2002), published in Italian by Rizzoli; Questa storia (Fandango 2005),Emmaus (Feltrinelli 2009),Mr Gwyn (Feltrinelli 2011),Tre volte all’alba (Feltrinelli
2012). He has also written screenplays and numerous essays: Il genio in fuga. Due saggi sul teatro musicale di Gioachino Rossini (Il
melangolo 1988, Einaudi 1997), Next. Piccolo libro sulla globalizzazione e il mondo che verrà, (Feltrinelli 2002),
I barbari. Saggio sulla mutazione (Fandango 2006 - Feltrinelli 2008). Host and author of highly successful television programs and
plays, in 1994, in Turin, he founded the Scuola Holden for Storytelling & Performing Arts.
In the same year, he published Novecento. Un monologo on which Giuseppe Tornatore based his film The Legend of 1900.
In 2008 he directed the movie Lecture 21. He also writes for the daily «La Repubblica».