Matteo Sedazzari is an author, publisher, and creative force rooted in pop culture, outsider art, and countercultural storytelling. His writing journey kicked off in 1989 with Positive Energy of Madness—a raw, DIY fanzine sparked by the Acid House explosion and a need to capture the madness of the moment. That fanzine evolved into ZANI, launched online in 2009, becoming a hub for interviews, opinions, and cultural snapshots featuring icons such as Clem Burke, Shaun Ryder, Bobby Womack, and Chas Smash. While ZANI is currently on hiatus as a magazine, it lives on as an independent publishing house—with its heart still firmly in the underground.
After years immersed in publishing and cultural journalism, Matteo turned to fiction, blending street-level realism with a storyteller’s instinct for myth. His debut novel, A Crafty Cigarette: Tales of a Teenage Mod, opens with a foreword by punk poet John Cooper Clarke and paints a vivid portrait of adolescent rebellion, identity, and belonging in 1980s Britain.
This was followed by The Magnificent Six in Tales of Aggro, a sweeping, bittersweet tale of friendship that traces the lives of six individuals across the shifting landscape of West London, capturing the quiet triumphs and unspoken losses of working-class experience.
Matteo then ventured into more symbolic territory with the creation of the Foxes of Foxham universe—an interwoven series of fables where talking animals carry the weight of human hopes, fears, and destinies. Blending magical realism with British and Italian folklore, his stories resonate with timeless themes: the quest for freedom, the allure of loyalty, and the struggle to remain true in a shifting world. These are stories for children, adults, and the child still flickering inside all of us.
Matteo writes in realistic prose, blending vernacular voice with authentic dialogue—even in his recent fantasy novels. He sees himself as a modern pulp fiction writer, unafraid to mix grit with imagination. His influences are wide-ranging, spanning C.S. Lewis, Daphne du Maurier, R.L. Stine, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mario Puzo, Patricia Highsmith, Alan Bleasdale, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Gillian Flynn, Somerset Maugham and more.
A lifelong love of cinema also shapes his storytelling—films like Midnight Cowboy, Twelve Angry Men, La Haine, The Wicker Man, Dracula (1958), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Play Misty for Me have all left their mark. Television has also played its part—shows like Oz, Gomorrah, and Tales of the Unexpected reflect his taste for morally complex worlds and sharply drawn characters. He draws further inspiration from classic sitcoms such as The Phil Silvers Show, Only Fools and Horses, Porridge, and The Office (UK and US). Music is a constant pulse—whether it’s rock, funk, jazz-funk, power pop, disco, or punk—anything with heart and soul finds its way into his work.
Among his favourite fictional characters are Sherlock Holmes, Tintin, Batman, Michael Corleone, Ciro from Gomorrah, Pope from Animal Kingdom, Pinocchio, and the nameless teen Mod from A Crafty Cigarette (his own creation)—a cast of outcasts, seekers, and rebels who continue to shape his imagination.
Matteo lives in Surrey, often seen cycling through the countryside with headphones on and a head full of stories. When not writing, he travels to Italy and Spain, supports Juventus, curates vintage fashion, and lives by a firm belief in style, substance, and the occasional slap-up meal—whatever the cuisine.
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