Cino Del Duca
Encyclopedia
Cino Del Duca was an Italian
-born businessman film producer
and philanthropist
who moved to France
in 1923 where he made a fortune in the French
publishing business.
in the Province of Ascoli Piceno
, Cino Del Duca played a major role in the French Resistance
during the German occupation of France in World War II
. His service to help liberate the country from the Nazis earned him the Croix de guerre
.
Del Duca began with a small printing shop in Paris
and eventually expanded into various publishing businesses. After the War, he established the Franc Tireur in 1949 and the Paris-Journal in 1957. Two years later he merged the two as the morning tabloid Paris-Jour that proved successful in a highly competitive, and at the time, overly saturated, Paris newspaper market. (Time magazine, April 26, 1963.) He built a publishing empire in France anchored by a series of very successful magazines such as Nous Deux, Télé Poche, Modes de Paris, Les Editions mondiales and others. His companies published journals such as Hurrah! (1935-1953) and L'Aventureux (1936-1942) plus through his agency Mondial Presse he acquired the French language publishing rights to English language comic strip
s and series such as Tarzan
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
. As well, his Éditions Del Duca (book publishing
company was also very successful. In 1952 he established La Bourse Del Duca that awarded a medallion and a cash prize to support first-time author
s.
In 1954, Cino Del Duca entered the motion picture production business. Between then and 1962 he helped finance and produce eight feature films including 1960's acclaimed L'avventura
.
Cino Del Duca expanded his media empire into the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain
, and his native Italy. His business successes earned him great wealth and he became a benefactor to a number of charitable
causes. As a hobby
, he acquired a 55 hectare property at Biéville-Quétiéville
in the Calvados
département in what is part of a large horse farm area of Basse-Normandie
. Del Duca's Haras de Quétiéville racing stable
and stud farm
was a prominent part of thoroughbred
horse racing
in France and in 1951 their stallion
Prince Bio was the country's leading sire.
book publishing company brought out works translated into the Italian language
from English, French and other notable writers such as Romain Gary
and Elizabeth Peters. With Gaetano Baldacci and Enrico Mattei
, in April 1956 Cino Del Duca founded the Il Giorno
newspaper
in Milan.
In 1955, he rescued the A.S. Ascoli
football
team in Ascoli Piceno
from bankruptcy. He built the Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca
(stadium) in 1962 where the team still plays and which bears his name. The team carried the name "Del Duca Ascoli" until it was sold by his widow following his death in 1967.
is named in his honor as is another street in the XVIIe arrondissement
of Paris. His widow Simone
used their great wealth to continue and expand their philanthropic works. In 1969 she established the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
, an international literary award
with a substantial cash prize. In 1975 she created the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation
to oversee all the various charitable involvements. The Foundation became a significant patron of the arts
in France and a very important benefactor to medical researchers worldwide.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-born businessman film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1923 where he made a fortune in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
publishing business.
Biography
Born in MontedinoveMontedinove
Montedinove is a comune in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about 70 km south of Ancona and about 13 km north of Ascoli Piceno...
in the Province of Ascoli Piceno
Province of Ascoli Piceno
The Province of Ascoli Piceno is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ascoli Piceno.It has an area of 1,228 km², and a total population of 212,846 . There are 33 comuni in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Ascoli Piceno.-External links:**...
, Cino Del Duca played a major role in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during the German occupation of France in World War II
German occupation of France in World War II
The Military Administration in France was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II. It remained in existence from May 1940 to December 1944. As a result of the defeat of France and its Allies in the Battle of France, the French cabinet sought a cessation...
. His service to help liberate the country from the Nazis earned him the Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
.
Del Duca began with a small printing shop in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and eventually expanded into various publishing businesses. After the War, he established the Franc Tireur in 1949 and the Paris-Journal in 1957. Two years later he merged the two as the morning tabloid Paris-Jour that proved successful in a highly competitive, and at the time, overly saturated, Paris newspaper market. (Time magazine, April 26, 1963.) He built a publishing empire in France anchored by a series of very successful magazines such as Nous Deux, Télé Poche, Modes de Paris, Les Editions mondiales and others. His companies published journals such as Hurrah! (1935-1953) and L'Aventureux (1936-1942) plus through his agency Mondial Presse he acquired the French language publishing rights to English language comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s and series such as Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
. As well, his Éditions Del Duca (book publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
company was also very successful. In 1952 he established La Bourse Del Duca that awarded a medallion and a cash prize to support first-time author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
s.
In 1954, Cino Del Duca entered the motion picture production business. Between then and 1962 he helped finance and produce eight feature films including 1960's acclaimed L'avventura
L'avventura
L'Avventura is a 1960 Italian film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and developed from a story he created. Monica Vitti and Gabriele Ferzetti star. It is noted for its careful pacing, which puts a focus on visual composition and character development, as well as for its unusual narrative structure...
.
Cino Del Duca expanded his media empire into the Federal Republic of Germany, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and his native Italy. His business successes earned him great wealth and he became a benefactor to a number of charitable
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
causes. As a hobby
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
, he acquired a 55 hectare property at Biéville-Quétiéville
Biéville-Quétiéville
Biéville-Quétiéville is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
in the Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
département in what is part of a large horse farm area of Basse-Normandie
Basse-Normandie
Lower Normandy is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy...
. Del Duca's Haras de Quétiéville racing stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
and stud farm
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
was a prominent part of thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
in France and in 1951 their stallion
Stallion (horse)
A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded .Stallions will follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" neck, as well as a somewhat more muscular physique as compared to...
Prince Bio was the country's leading sire.
Significant investments in Italy
Cino Del Duca expanded his publishing business to Italy in 1951. His MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
book publishing company brought out works translated into the Italian language
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
from English, French and other notable writers such as Romain Gary
Romain Gary
Romain Gary was a French diplomat, novelist, film director, World War II aviator. He is the only author to have won the Prix Goncourt twice .- Early life :Gary was born in Vilnius under the name Roman Kacew...
and Elizabeth Peters. With Gaetano Baldacci and Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei was an Italian public administrator. After World War II he was given the task of dismantling the Italian Petroleum Agency Agip, a state enterprise established by the Fascist regime. Instead Mattei enlarged and reorganized it into the National Fuel Trust Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi...
, in April 1956 Cino Del Duca founded the Il Giorno
Il Giorno (newspaper)
Il Giorno is an Italian national newspaper based in Milan, Italy, with numerous local editions in Lombardy.- History :Founded by the Italian businessman Cino Del Duca in 1956, with the journalist Gaetano Baldacci, to challenge the newspaper Corriere della Sera...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Milan.
In 1955, he rescued the A.S. Ascoli
Ascoli Calcio 1898
Ascoli Calcio 1898 is an Italian football club based in Ascoli Piceno, Marche. The club was formed in 1898 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, having returned to it after two seasons spent in Serie A...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team in Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...
from bankruptcy. He built the Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca
Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca
Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca is a multi-purpose stadium in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and the home of Ascoli Calcio 1898. The stadium was built in 1962 and holds 20,000.-External links:*...
(stadium) in 1962 where the team still plays and which bears his name. The team carried the name "Del Duca Ascoli" until it was sold by his widow following his death in 1967.
Legacy
Cino Del Duca died in 1967 and was buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. The Rue Cino Del Duca in BiarritzBiarritz
Biarritz is a city which lies on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast, in south-western France. It is a luxurious seaside town and is popular with tourists and surfers....
is named in his honor as is another street in the XVIIe arrondissement
XVIIe arrondissement
The 17th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.-Geography:The land area of this arrondissement is 5.669 km2 The 17th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements (administrative districts) of the capital city of...
of Paris. His widow Simone
Simone Del Duca
Simone Del Duca was a French businesswoman, a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and major philanthropist. Married to French publishing magnate Cino Del Duca, on his death in 1967 she was left with a considerable fortune...
used their great wealth to continue and expand their philanthropic works. In 1969 she established the Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
Prix mondial Cino Del Duca
The Prix mondial Cino Del Duca is an international literary award.-Origins and operations:It was established in 1969 in France by Simone Del Duca to continue the work of her husband, publishing magnate Cino Del Duca .Designed to recognize and reward an author whose work constitutes, in a...
, an international literary award
Literary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
with a substantial cash prize. In 1975 she created the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation
Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation
The Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation is a charitable foundation based in Paris, France. It was established in 1975 by Simone Del Duca , widow of publishing magnate Cino Del Duca...
to oversee all the various charitable involvements. The Foundation became a significant patron of the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
in France and a very important benefactor to medical researchers worldwide.
Bourse Cino del Duca Laureates (non-exhaustive list)
- Jean-Luc Coatelem
- Régine Detambel
- Paul FournelPaul FournelPaul Fournel is a French writer, poet, publisher, and cultural ambassador. He was educated at the École normale supérieure of Saint-Cloud . Fournel wrote his master's thesis on Raymond Queneau and published the first book-length study of the Oulipo, Clefs pour la littérature potentielle...
- Charles Le QuintrecCharles Le QuintrecCharles Le Quintrec was a French poet. He was born in Plescop and died in Lorient.He was a literary critic for Ouest-France .-Awards:* Chevalier des Arts et Lettres* Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite...
- Hervé Le TellierHervé Le TellierHervé Le Tellier is a French writer and linguist, and a member of the international literary group Oulipo...
- Jean-Marc Lovay
- Gilles Paris
- Henri Pigaillem