The Italian publishing house Adelphi was founded in the city of Milan in the year two thousand and sixty-two by a group of prominent intellectuals, including Luciano Foa and Roberto Bazlin. They were later joined by the famous thinker and writer Roberto Calasso, who led the house for decades.
The name of the house was derived from the Greek word meaning “brotherhood,” which reflects the desire of its founders to form an independent intellectual association that transcends the ideological and political restrictions prevailing in the Italian cultural scene at the time.The house was distinguished by a unique and rigorous editorial line that focused on the rediscovery of abandoned literary masterpieces, the publication of major philosophical works such as the complete volumes of Nietzsche, as well as its exceptional interest in Central European (Meteleuropa) culture and the Oriental literatures of India, Tibet and Japan. Adelphi gained fame and high status thanks to the quality of its translations and the elegance of its cover design, distinguished by its calm colours, transforming over the years from an elite cultural project into one of the most influential and respected independent publishing houses in Europe.
