This is a list of notable Italian writers, including novelists, essayists, poets, and other people whose primary artistic output was literature.

• Crescenzo Alatri (1825–1897)
• Attilio Albergoni (born 1949)
• Sibilla Aleramo (1876–1960)
• Vittorio Alfieri (1749–1803)
• Dante Alighieri (1265–1321)
• Magdi Allam (born 1951)
• Ernesto Aloia (born 1965)
• Corrado Alvaro (1895–1956)
• Pasquale Amati (1726–1792)
• Niccolò Ammaniti (born 1966)
• Elisa S. Amore (born 1984)
• Andrea da Grosseto (13th century)
• Cecco Angiolieri (13th century)
• Giulio Angioni (1939–2017)
• Ludovico Ariosto (1474–1533)
• Giovanni Arpino (1927–1987)
• Antonia Arslan (born 1938)
• Devorà Ascarelli (16th century)

• Emma Baeri (born 1942)
• Andrea Bajani(born 1975)
• Alfredo Balducci (1920–2011)
• Barbara Baraldi
• Ermolao Barbaro (1454–1493)
• Ermolao Barbaro (bishop) (1410–1474)
• Francesco Barbaro (1390–1454)
• Giosafat Barbaro (1413–1494)
• Marco Barbaro (1511–1570)
• Alessandro Baricco (born 1958)
• Giorgio Bassani (1916–2000)
• Cesare Beccaria (1738–1794)
• Pietro Bembo (1470–1547)
• Stefano Benni (born 1947)
• Mario Benzing (1896–1958)
• Giuseppe Berto (1914–1978)
• Enzo Bettiza (1927–2017)
• Enzo Biagi (1920–2007)
• Luciano Bianciardi (1922–1971)
• Luther Blissett (born 1958)
• Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375)
• Matteo Maria Boiardo (1434–1494)
• Arrigo Boito (1842–1918)
• Camillo Boito (1836–1914)
• Franco Bolelli (1950–2020)
• Vitaliano Brancati (1907–1954)
• Enrico Brizzi (born 1974)
• Giordano Bruno (1548–1600)
• Gesualdo Bufalino (1920–1996)
• Aldo Busi (born 1948)
• Dino Buzzati (1906–1972)

• Achille Giovanni Cagna (1847–1931)
• Roberto Calasso (1941–2021)
• Gianfranco Calligarich (1939–2024)
• Italo Calvino (1923–1985)
• Andrea Camilleri (1925–2019)
• Dino Campana (1885–1932)
• Manuela Campanelli (born 1962)
• Achille Campanile (1899–1977)
• Luigi Capuana (1839–1915)
• Enrichetta Caracciolo (1821–1901)
• Alberto Caramella (1928–2007)
• Giosuè Carducci (1835–1907)
• Nadia Cavalera (born 1950)
• Gianni Celati (1937–2022)
• Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571)
• Vincenzo Cerami (1940–2013)
• Paolo Cerrati (1485–1540)
• Guido Cervo (born 1952)
• Saveria Chemotti (born 1947)
• John Ciardi (1916–1986)
• Pietro Citati (1930–2022)
• Carlo Collodi (1826–1890)
• Vincenzo Consolo (1933–2012)
• Matteo Corradini (born 1975)
• Benedetto Croce (1866–1952)

• Jacopone da Todi (1230–1306)
• Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863–1938)
• Massimo D'Azeglio (1798–1866)
• Edmondo De Amicis (1846–1908)
• Giacomo Debenedetti (1901–1967)
• Andrea De Carlo (born 1952)
• Grazia Deledda (1871–1936)
• Massimo del Pizzo (born - )
• Silvana De Mari (born 1953)
• Sergio De Santis (born 1953)
• Raffaella de' Sernigi (1473–1557)
• Jacobus de Voragine (1230–1298)
• Paola Drigo (1876–1938)

• Umberto Eco (1932–2016)
• Muzi Epifani (1935–1984)
• Valerio Evangelisti (1952–2022)
• Julius Evola (1898–1974)

• Francesco Falconi (born 1976)
• Giorgio Faletti (1950–2014)
• Oriana Fallaci (1929–2006)
• Beppe Fenoglio (1922–1963)
• Caterina Franceschi Ferrucci (1803–1887)
• Ennio Flaiano (1910–1972)
• Dario Fo (1926–2016)
• Antonio Fogazzaro (1842–1911)
• Marcello Fois (born 1960)
• Bruno Forte (born 1949)
• Ugo Foscolo (1778–1827)
• Carlo Fruttero (1926–2012)

• Carlo Emilio Gadda (1893–1973)
• Barbara Gallavotti (born 1968)
• Pietro Luigi Galletti (1724-1790)
• Natalia Ginzburg (1916–1991)
• Paolo Giordano (born 1982)
• Cinzia Giorgio (born 1975)
• Raffaello Giovagnoli (1838–1915)
• Guglielmo il Giuggiola (16th century)
• Giambattista Giraldi Cinzio (1504–1573)
• Carlo Goldoni (1707–1793)
• Corrado Govoni (1884–1965)
• Guido Gozzano (1883–1916)
• Giovannino Guareschi (1908–1968)
• Robert "Bobby" Germaine (1925–1986)
• Tonino Guerra (1920–2012)

• Petrus Haedus (1427–1504)

• Ibn Hamdis (1056 - 1133)

• Fleur Jaeggy (born 1940)

• Tommaso Landolfi (1908–1979)
• Brunetto Latini (1220–1294)
• Bruno Leoni (1913–1967)
• Giacomo Leopardi (1798–1837)
• Franco Loi (1930–2021)
• Carlo Levi (1902–1975)
• Primo Levi (1919–1987)
• Giuseppe Lombardo Radice 1879–1938)
• Carlo Lucarelli (born 1960)
• Emilio Lussu (1890–1975)

• Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527)
• Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi (1406–1471)
• Claudio Magris (born 1939)
• Maria Majocchi (1864–1917)
• Clementina Laura Majocchi (1866–1945)
• Curzio Malaparte (1898–1957)
• Marco Malvaldi (born 1974)
• Valerio Massimo Manfredi (born 1943)
• Giorgio Manganelli (1922 - 1990)
• Fabio Maniscalco (1965–2008)
• Gianna Manzini (1896–1974)
• Alessandro Manzoni (1785–1873)
• Dacia Maraini (born 1936)
• Fosco Maraini (1912–2004)
• Diego Marani (born 1959)
• Lucrezia Marinella (1571–1653)
• Stefano Massini (born 1975)
• Chiara Matraini (1515–1604)
• Margaret Mazzantini (born 1961)
• Carlo Mazzoni (born 1979)
• Melania Mazzucco (born 1966)
• Fulvio Melia (born 1956)
• Maria Messina (1887–1944)
• Mina Mezzadri (1926–2008)
• Grazyna Miller (1957–2009)
• Franco Mimmi (born 1942)
• Federico Moccia (born 1963)
• Massimo Mongai (1950–2016)
• Beatrice Monroy (born 1953)
• Valeria Montaldi (born 19??)
• Eugenio Montale (1896–1981)
• Maria Montessori (1870–1952)
• Giuliana Morandini (1938–2019)
• Elsa Morante (1912–1985)
• Olympia Morata (1526–1555)
• Alberto Moravia (1907–1990)
• Marta Morazzoni (born 1950)
• Antonio Moresco (born 1947)
• Michela Murgia (1972–2023)

• Neera (Anna Radius Zuccari) (1846–1918)
• Ada Negri (1870–1945)
• Ippolito Nievo (1831–1861)

• Aldo Palazzeschi (1885–1974)
• Giancarlo Pallavicini (born 1931)
• Angeliki Palli (1798–1875)
• Melissa Panarello (born 1985)
• Giovanni Papini (1881–1956)
• Giovanni Pascoli (1855–1912)
• Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975)
• Cesare Pavese (1908–1950)
• Roberto Pazzi (born 1946)
• Silvio Pellico (1789–1854)
• Danilo Pennone (born 1963)
• Frank Peretti (born 1951)
• Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494)
• Tommaso Pincio (born 1963)
• Luigi Pirandello (1867–1936)
• Fernanda Pivano (1917–2009)
• Joseph Pivato (born 1946)
• Angelo Poliziano (1454–1494)
• Marco Polo (1254–1324)
• Vasco Pratolini (1913–1991)
• Hugo Pratt (1927–1995)
• Mario Praz (1896–1982)
• Ottavio Profeta (1890–1963)
• Luigi Pulci (1432–1484)

• Roberto Quaglia (born 1962)
• Salvatore Quasimodo (1901–1968)

• Lidia Ravera (born 1951)
• Mario Rigoni Stern (1921–2008)
• Gianni Rodari (1920–1980)
• Lalla Romano (1906–2001)
• Emanuela Da Ros (born 1959)

• Umberto Saba (1883–1957)
• Emilio Salgari (1862–1911)
• Rubino Romeo Salmonì (1920–2011)
• Emilia Salvioni (1895–1967)
• Alberto Savinio (1891–1952)
• Leonardo Sciascia (1921–1989)
• Matilde Serao (1856–1927)
• Beppe Severgnini (born 1956)
• Ignazio Silone (1900–1978)
• Mario Soldati (1906–1999)
• Mario Spezi (1945–2016)
• Italo Svevo (1861–1928)
• Roberto Saviano (born 1979)

• Antonio Tabucchi (1943–2012)
• Susanna Tamaro (born 1957)
• Torquato Tasso (1544–1595)
• Tiziano Terzani (1938–2004)
• Roberto Tiraboschi (born 1951)
• Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896–1957)
• Fulvio Tomizza (1935–1999)
• Pier Vittorio Tondelli (1955–1991)
• Marco Travaglio (born 1964)

• Luigi Ugolini (1891–1980)
• Giuseppe Ungaretti (1888–1970)

• Giorgio van Straten (born 1955)
• Giovanni Verga (1840–1922)
• Grazia Verasani (born 1964), crime writer
• Giuseppe Vergani
• Sandro Veronesi (born 1959)
• Anna Vertua Gentile (1850–1926)
• Mitì Vigliero Lami (born 1957)
• Simona Vinci^[1] (born 1970)
• Ottavia Vitagliano (1894–1975)
• Elio Vittorini (1908–1966)
• Paolo Volponi (1924–1994)

• Wu Ming

• Enrica Zunic'

• List of Italian women writers
• Italian literature
• List of Italian language poets
• Lists of authors