Massimiliano Canzanella
Massimiliano Canzanella is a language activist, writer, lecturer, and English teacher based in Glasgow, Scotland. His work focuses on the recognition and promotion of Neapolitan and the rights of its speakers. Since 2001, he has advocated for the desegregation and enfranchisement of Neapolitan speakers, challenging the stigma associated with the language. He is the author of L’î ’a vulé and Nun me dìcere niente, the first two novels written entirely in Neapolitan, and has taught Neapolitan language and culture in Naples and at the University of Glasgow, and has also lectured at the University of Edinburgh. In 2025, his first play, MASTODASCIA, a Neapolitan adaptation of Alan Spence’s Sailmaker, premiered, extending his work in language activism into bilingual theatre.
Massimiliano’s website explores the preservation, promotion, and academic study of the Neapolitan language (lengua napulitana). It highlights Massimiliano’s work as a writer, educator, and language activist, including his Neapolitan-language novels, advocacy for bilingual education, and efforts to challenge the stigma surrounding regional languages and dialects. The site also provides information about his lectures, cultural projects, and work promoting Neapolitan language and identity.
https://www.tron.co.uk/shows/mastodascia/
MASTODASCIA (Carpenter) is 2025 a bilingual play that adapts Alan Spence’s Sailmaker to 1980s Naples, Italy. Set in the Rione Sanità district, it follows a young boy and his father as they navigate grief, family struggles, and the growing distance between them. Performed in both Neapolitan and English, the play explores language, cultural identity, social oppression, and the ways linguistic differences can shape relationships and communities.
https://www.canzanella.net/canzanella-liavule
“L’î ’a vulé” (Set Your Soul to It) is a novel written entirely in Neapolitan that explores language oppression, cultural identity, and the effects of suppressing a community’s native language. Through the perspective of a child, the book examines how social and institutional pressures can shape people’s understanding of themselves and their culture, while also questioning the relationship between language, freedom of expression, and democracy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/massimiliano-canzanella-87093b257/