Riccardo Bacchelli
Riccardo Bacchelli was an Italian novelist known for his long historical romances that diverged from the lyrical style prevalent among his contemporaries. Born into a wealthy family, he faced many years of struggle before gaining recognition for his work. Unlike many writers of his time, Bacchelli’s focus was on detailed social commentary and historical narratives. His most notable work, *The Mill on the Po*, is a trilogy that spans three generations and explores the emergence of a unified Italy through the lives of ordinary people, covering events from the decline of Napoleon to World War I. Bacchelli’s scholarly approach earned him respect in Italy, although he never achieved widespread popularity. He also wrote *The Devil at the Long Bridge*, which addresses themes of socialism, and a lighter work titled *Love Town*, which critiques utopian ideals. Later in life, he received several honors, including membership in prestigious literary academies and the title of Grand Officer of the Italian Republic. Bacchelli's contributions remain significant to the historical novel genre in Italy, reflecting a romantic yet realistic understanding of history.
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Riccardo Bacchelli
Italian novelist
- Born: April 19, 1891
- Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
- Died: October 8, 1985
- Place of death: Monza, Italy
Biography
Born into a well-established and wealthy family, Riccardo Bacchelli (bahk-KAYL-lee) labored for years before he began to receive recognition. His writing was outside the mainstream of Italian literature of his day, for while his contemporaries were producing works of delicate lyricism, Bacchelli was composing long historical romances rather in the manner of the great nineteenth century Italian novelist Alessandro Manzoni.
Bacchelli wrote only one lighthearted book, the relatively unsuccessful Love Town, the story of a paternalistic, Utopian city that true lovers finally see is impossible for them. In his other works Bacchelli’s social commentary was either direct or historical. An example of the first, The Devil at the Long Bridge, has for its subject matter the attempt of Mikhail Bakunin to establish socialism in Italy. The Mill on the Po, considered by many to be his best work, is a somewhat ponderous trilogy that was first published in serial form in Nuova antologia. In the United States the work appeared in two parts: The Mill on the Po and Nothing New Under the Sun. It presents a panorama of Bacchelli’s native district in Italy over the span of three generations, and in realistic treatment it presents the years from the decline of Napoleon to the Battle of Vittorio Veneto in World War I. The controlling theme of the book is the emergence of Italy as a unified nation, which, however, takes place not through the large issues and great figures of history but through the small, obscure lives of Italy’s common folk.
Though it cannot be said that Bacchelli ever achieved wide popularity, his scholarly approach to a romantic understanding of history did bring him great authority in his homeland. Within its range, Bacchelli’s work is not likely to be replaced, even though it remains a monument to an older style of writing. Later in life Bacchelli was made a member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lencie, the Accademia della Crusca of Florence, and, in 1953, a Grand Officer of the Italian Republic.
Bibliography
Bergin, T. G. Review of The Mill on the Po, by Riccardo Bacchelli. The New York Herald Tribune Book Review, September 17, 1950.
Bergin, T. G. “Riccardo Bacchelli.” Italica 16 (1940).
Bondanella, Peter, and Julia Conaway Bondanella, eds. Dictionary of Italian Literature. Rev. and expanded ed. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996.
Brand, Peter, and Lino Pertile, eds. The Cambridge History of Italian Literature. Rev. ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Knittel, Robert. Review of The Mill on the Po, by Riccardo Bacchelli. The New York Times, September 17, 1950, p. 5.
Licastro, Emanuele. “Riccardo Bacchelli.” In Italian Prose Writers, 1900-1945, edited by Luca Somigli and Rocco Capozzi. Vol. 264 in Dictionary of Literary Biography. Detroit: Gale Group, 2002.