Michael Curtotti

Michael Curtotti is an author and translator.

Last year, Michael released a fresh new translation of Matteo Bandello’s Romeo and Juliet. That story (in translation) inspired Shakespeare's world famous play. Bandello, a wonderful writer inspired others (including Stendhal, Byron and Lope de La Vega) and provided plots for other Shakespeare plays.

Michael is currently working on new translation of "Desdemona: The story which inspired Othello", by the Italian writer and playwright Cinthio. The translation is accompanied by extensive commentary on the historical and social contexts of the story both in the Mediterranean and in England.

Michael has also translated The Dragon, the Witch and the Daughters, by the Sicilian writer Luigi Capuana; a touching tale about two orphans who work a magical change in the life of an old man.

Michael's first book was Ten Lives Declaring Human Rights: From Bartolome de las Casas to Martin Luther King Jr. The book uses a series of short biographies of key figures in the history of human rights. Together, their lives tell the story and meaning of human rights in a way that is much more accessible than reading declarations or international treaties.

Living in Australia, Michael is married with three children.