This forthcoming book on the work of recently deceased Italian architect, theorist, and historian Paolo Portoghesi will be published in November as part of the Bloomsbury Studies in Modern Architecture series. Featuring previously unpublished archival materials and interviews, it explores the role of history, politics, and media in the making of Postmodern architectural discourse. Following is an excerpt from the introduction.

The figure of the architect is often that of a mediator. Between the client and the builder, between art and science and between the profession and theory, the architect operates at the intersection of different realities and moves across disciplinary epistemes. Yet some architects, because of their exceptional talent, play a crucial role in these acts of negotiation, wearing many hats at once and continuously shifting from one task to another. Architect, intellectual, historian, critic, designer, educator, political operator, curator, and communicator, Paolo Portoghesi has been a protagonist of Postmodern architecture who has spent his life in almost constant motion, oscillating naturally between tasks, individuals, and events.