Farewell to Mauro Castelli: journalist, writer and inventor of the humanistic narrative of economics

Mauro Castelli passed away this morning in a Milan clinic after a long illness, which he bore with conscious lucidity and extraordinary dignity, right up to the last minute. Few of the current editors of Il Sole 24 Ore had the opportunity to work with him, who physically left the newspaper in 2001 - although he was still an assiduous contributor for years -, but it cannot be forgotten that Castelli was one of the columns of the newspaper in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Hired as an ordinary editor, his internal 'climb' led him up to the position of chief editor and, later, head of the editorial office.

He was born in Zocca, in the Modena Apennines, in 1939. The same town as Vasco Rossi, with whom he even boasted a distant relationship. At the end of eighth grade he moved to Milan, enrolling in the 'Leonardo da Vinci' scientific high school. But he soon realised that he had taken the wrong course of study, because he was actually better suited to humanistic subjects. He excelled especially in Italian. His essays were regularly read aloud in class as an example to follow. Here was already the journalist in nuce. And not only on a theoretical level: in the third year of high school he joined, with innovative ideas, the sparse editorial staff of 'Il Leonardo', the school's tried and tested house organ, and with a few other like-minded comrades actively contributed to the transformation of the periodical, both in content and editorial line. "Il Leonardo" gave itself a "mission" that went beyond, without abandoning it completely, traditional student goliardism, focusing mainly on the analysis of more general socio-political problems. The newspaper, which became a point of reference in the school's internal debate, interpreted in particular, with some anticipation, the unease that would later trigger the first youth protests. Of the publication, which was appreciated but also 'discussed' even outside the high school, Castelli also became editor-in-chief at the end of the 1950s.

After graduating from high school, he preferred not to pursue university studies. His passion was journalism and he sought all the shortcuts that would allow him to practice as a professional. In order to earn a living, he took a job as a simple clerk in a modest firm that dealt in administrative matters: the classic 'shop boy' who also took on the role of delivery boy. But as soon as closing time rang, he flung himself, welcome, into the rooms of the Sportinformazioni press agency. It was his first real training ground. Reports of sporting events, interviews, a few investigations. The young man knew what he was doing, and his name began to circulate with interest in the environment. From sport to the news, the step was short: he collaborated for some time with Il Giorno, il Giornale, the Agi and even some targeted radio experiences contributed to enriching his still unripe curriculum.

More surprising and challenging was his transition to economics. But so be it. In the mid-1970s he even found himself at Il Sole 24 Ore. The newspaper was actually looking for a young 'machine', and in particular the one who would take care of the closing stages of the newspaper, the transition from the first to the second edition, the supervision of the printing times and procedures, up to the dispatch of the 'product' throughout Italia. (In those days, trucks and trains were still used, and one could not deviate from punctuality). Castelli was of an absolute rigour and precision, but it was soon realised that in this, albeit very valuable work, his skills both as a 'writer' and as a more complete co-ordinator and organiser were being sacrificed. Hence his rise, rapid and shared, to the top roles of the newspaper, as mentioned at the beginning.

Despite the heavy commitment required by his new duties, Castelli never gave up realising his true passion, writing. He had a happy intuition, that of giving a voice to small and medium-sized Italian entrepreneurs who, despite boasting enviable records in their fields of expertise, were mostly unknown to the general public, and even to the stock market and financial 'system'. He selected dozens of them, later to become hundreds over the years, and began interviewing them. Very long interviews with a particular approach, seeking an empathy that would put the interviewee at ease. A method that would blossom into a 'humanistic' narrative of the economy, if one can call it that. In fact, Castelli also investigated the biographical aspects of the characters, outlining unpublished and sometimes unsuspected portraits, as well as discovering the characters, intuitions and even frailties of these businessmen, beyond their economic and financial successes.