Giacomo Noventa
Giacomo Noventa, born Giacomo Ca'Zorci on March 3, 1898, in Noventa di Piave, Italy, was an influential figure known for his independent political thought and literary contributions. Coming from an aristocratic family of wealthy landowners, he initially pursued a law degree at the University of Turin, focusing on legal philosophy. Despite a brief career in penal law, his true interests lay in literature and philosophy, leading him to edit the journal La Riforma Letteraria and publish poetry under the pseudonym Emilio Sarpi. Throughout his life, Noventa faced persecution for his non-alignment with prevailing political ideologies, which resulted in multiple arrests. He ultimately settled in Venice, where he founded several publications, including La Gazetta del Nord and Il Giornale dei Socialisti. His literary works include a poetry collection, Versi e poesie, which won the Viareggio Prize, alongside other writings on religious journalism and philosophy. Noventa's legacy is marked by his commitment to independent thought, earning him recognition as a modernist figure in Italian culture after his death from a brain tumor on July 4, 1960.
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Giacomo Noventa
Poet
- Born: March 31, 1898
- Birthplace: Noventa di Piave, Italy
- Died: July 4, 1960
Biography
Giacomo Noventa is a pseudonym for Giacomo Ca’Zorci, who was born into an aristocratic family in Noventa di Piave, Italy, on March 3, 1898. His parents were Antonio and Emilia Ceresa Ca’Zorci, wealthy landowners. Noventa would later write in the Venetian dialect of his mother.
In 1923, he earned a law degree from the University of Turin, writing his dissertation on the philosophy of the law. After graduation, he practiced penal law for a short time in Rome, an endeavor that proved unsuccessful. From 1926 until 1936, he traveled in Europe, during which time he studied German and English. In 1933, he married Franca Reynaud, whom he had met while studying in Turin. They had three children: Alberto, Antonio, and Emilia.
At the same time that he was developing an interest in philosophy, Noventa met philosopher Benedetto Croce. Soon afterward, he was arrested under suspicion of being anti-Fascist. Noventa was neither Fascist nor anti-Fascist but was an independent political thinker who denounced all ideologies. After his arrest, he moved to Florence, where from 1936 until 1938 he edited the journal La Riforma Letteraria. In this journal, Noventa published his own poems under the pseudonym Emilio Sarpi.
Noventa was arrested again in 1939 and denied the right to live in any Italian city that had a university. By 1947 he was living in Venice, where he founded the newspaper La Gazetta del Nord. Two years later, he founded a periodical based in Turin, Il Giornale dei Socialisti. He ran for parliament in 1953 but was not elected. His first collection of poetry, Versi e poesie, was published in 1956. The collection won the Viareggio Prize in 1956. Two other books were published during his lifetime: Il vescovo di Prato (1958), a collection of religious journalism, and Nulla di nuova (196), a collection of philosophical essays. He died from a brain tumor on July 4, 1960.
Noventa was not very popular during his lifetime because he refused to align himself with any of the current ideologies. However, his political independence has since earned him recognition as a typical modernist. He is respected for his independent thought and his marginal perspective within the Italian culture of his time.