MARIO FRATTI, professor emeritus of Italian literature at Hunter College, is an internationally acclaimed playwright and drama critic.

Author of such works as Suicide, The Cage, The Return, The Academy, Mafia, Races, and The Bridge, he is best known for his musical Nine (inspired by Fellini's famous film, 8 1/2) which in its original production in 1982 won the O'Neill Award, the Richard Rodgers Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, five Tony Awards and in 2000 was a recipient of the Otto Award for Political Theater.

In its 2003 revival, Nine won three Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Tony Awards. Blindness: A Tragedy in Iraq is a new play by Mario Fratti about 29 American Soldiers who committed suicide in Iraq. It opened Tokyo July 15th, 2004 and Barcelona on August 6, 2004.

Fratti's nearly seventy plays have received some six hundred productions in two dozen countries and have been translated into many languages.

Fratti was born in Italy but has been living in New York City since 1963. In addition to his writing achievements, he also serves as New York drama critic for nine European newspapers.