Natalia Aspesi

Aspesi was born in Milan on 24 June 1929.^[1] Aspesi's father was a textile salesman, and her mother was a schoolteacher and an avowed anti-fascist. She and her older sister were raised by their mother after their father died when Aspesi was four-years-old.^[1]

Aspesi attempted to work several jobs before pursuing journalism, including a schoolteacher, a waitress in Geneva, and an au pair in England. As a journalist, Aspesi has written for several newspapers, including La Notte, Il Giorno, and La Repubblica. She developed a reputation for sneaking into exclusive places for her work, including a train carriage with The Beatles and the hospital room of Gino Paoli.^[1]

Aspesi identifies as a feminist.^[2] She has criticized online feminism and American feminism, which she describes as victim feminism, criticizing catcalling and body positivity as trivial issues relative to past focuses of feminism.^[3] She has criticized the #MeToo movement and the publicizing of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases, arguing that they did not advance the cause of feminism.^[4] She is an outspoken opponent of critic of the Five Star Movement and Matteo Salvini.^[5]

Aspesi criticized J. R. R. Tolkien's works and considered it "a bit naziskin".^[6][7] In addition, he defined the Tolkien's works as three "fairy romances" which are "eccentric and slightly demented".^[8] Aspesi did not take seriously the expectation that women should marry young; she eventually partnered with Antonio Sirtori, and the two remained together for 38 years until Sirtori's death in 2012.^[1] Aspesi suffered a stroke in 2023, causing her to intermittently lose consciousness for ten days.^[9]