Marino Moretti
Marino Moretti (1885-1979) was an Italian poet and novelist known for his contributions to the literary movement of crepuscolarismo, which emphasized subtle and unpretentious language. Born into a fishing family in Cesenatico, Italy, he initially pursued acting but shifted his focus to poetry after encouragement from his teachers. His first collection, "Le primavere," was published in 1902, marking the beginning of a prolific writing career. During World War I, he served as a medic and journalist while also publishing his first novel, "Il sole de sabato." Moretti's most notable work, "La vedova Fioravanti," came out in 1941 and helped solidify his literary reputation. He continued to write until 1958, producing a total of eighteen novels and numerous poetry collections, with his later works reflecting a deep focus on everyday life and experiences. Moretti received several prestigious awards throughout his career, including the Viareggio Prize for his short stories. His legacy is marked by his unique ability to capture the ordinary through accessible language, influencing modern and contemporary poetry.
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Marino Moretti
Poet
- Born: July 18, 1885
- Birthplace: Cesenatico, Italy
- Died: July 6, 1979
- Place of death: Cesenatico, Italy
Biography
Marino Moretti was born July 18, 1885, into a family of fishermen in Cesenatico, Italy. He had two brothers and five sisters. His father was Ettore Moretti. His mother, Filomena Moretti, was an elementary-school teacher. Moretti began his education in her classroom. He attended high school in Ravenna and Bologna, and in 1901, he enrolled in an acting school in Florence. Not highly talented in acting, he turned to writing poetry with the encouragement of his school’s director, Luigi Rasi. His first collection of poems, Le primavere, was published in 1902. The following year, he published three more collections. In 1908, with the publication of La serenata delle zanzare (mosquito serenade), he began producing work in the style made popular by the crepuscolarismo movement (twilight writers). The style is marked by its quiet, unpretentious diction.
Moretti served in World War I as a medic and a journalist. During this time, he published his first novel, Il sole de sabato (Saturday’s sunshine). The novel had first appeared in serial form in the newsaper Il Giornal d’italia in 1913. In 1925, he signed an anti-Fascist manifest written by Benedetto Croce, although he was otherwise politically inactive. His best-known novel, La vedova Fioravanti (Fioravanti’s widow), was published in 1941. He continued publishing novels, eighteen in all, until 1958, when his final novel, La camera degli sposi, was published. He returned to poetry, publishing L’ultima estate (the last summer), in 1968. The last collection published in his lifetime was Diario senza le date (diary without dates), published in 1974. He died July 6, 1979.
In 1948, Moretti shared the Fila Prize with Francesco Flora. He won the 1952 Academia dei Lincei Prize; the 1955 Naples Prize for his novel, La vedova Fioravanti; and the Viareggio Prize for his collection of short stories, Tutte le novelle (the complete short stories).
The author of a prodigious number of volumes of poetry and novels, Marino Moretti is recognized for his attention to the quiet everyday event in ordinary diction. This trait would later become more common in modern and contemporary poetry.