Valentino Zeichen

In German language the word Zeichen means "sign", and it has been suggested that his birth name is Giuseppe Mario Moses, an almost certainly Jewish surname.

[1][dead link‍] Born in Fiume, Italy, (now Rijeka, Croatia), the son of an Italian-speaking Istrian gardener, Zeichen moved with his family to Parma as a refugee.

He began to write poems at the age of 18, influenced by surrealist authors like Breton and Prévert.

Zeichen's poetry has been praised for its ability to quickly hook the reader, and has a subtle humour within it.

A literary award named after him, the Premio Zeichen, was held yearly before he died.