Mario Corti was born in Italy but his parents took him to Argentina, where he developed a lifelong interest in Russia. Later on he became a fluent Russian speaker and writer. Living in Italy in the 1970s, he was active in defense of human rights in the Soviet Union and published Russian samizdat books, articles and documents.
From 1979 until 2005, he worked at the U.S.-funded international broadcaster Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). He became the head of Radio Liberty’s Russian Service but left the station together with other veteran journalists over a programming dispute with the American management. He is author of numerous books and articles, many of them published in Russian. Dreif, a book written in Russian about philosophy and culture, was published in Russia and Ukraine in 2002. His book, Salieri i Mozart, on the relationship between the two composers, was published in Russian in 2005. His articles on human rights and Soviet dissent have appeared in several languages in many countries. He speaks Italian, Rusian, English, German, Spanish, and French and has a working knowledge of several other European languages.
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HISTORY The Year 1968 in the History of Samizdat
Mario Corti Letter to BBG Watch: keep an eye on RFE/RL
Mario Corti on continued importance and uniqueness of Radio Liberty in Russia
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is still not an Equal Opportunity Employer
Former Russian Service director Mario Corti calls Radio Liberty in Exile only remaining agent of station's mission in Russia
U.S. Must Take Immediate Action to Save Radio Liberty in Russia
Corti and Lipien in National Review – Radio Liberty silenced by Washington