Dino Campana
Dino Campana was an Italian poet born on August 20, 1885, in Marradi, Italy. He is often recognized as a pivotal figure in modern Italian poetry, largely due to his influential work, *Canti Orfici*, which is celebrated for its innovative use of language. Campana's life was marked by significant mental health challenges, which began in his youth and led to multiple institutionalizations from 1903 until his permanent confinement in 1918. His family, particularly his mother, struggled with his behavior, attributing it to hereditary issues.
Despite these difficulties, Campana traveled extensively, even working various jobs in South America, which informed his creative writing. His poetry was initially lost but later reproduced from memory, contributing to his mystique. Although he experienced a brief period of recognition after the publication of *Canti Orfici*, his personal life was tumultuous, marked by a love affair with fellow writer Sibilla Alermo and increasing mental instability. Campana died in an asylum in 1932, feeling disheartened by changes made to his work posthumously. His legacy endures as a significant contribution to Italian literature, reflecting both his artistic genius and personal struggles.
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Dino Campana
Poet
- Born: August 20, 1885
- Birthplace: Marradi, Italy
- Died: March 1, 1932
- Place of death: Florence, Italy
Biography
Dino Campana was born in the town of Marradi, in northern Italy, on August 20, 1885, the oldest son of Giovanni and Francesca (Luti) Campana. His father was an elementary school teacher who has been described as strict but fair, but it has been reported that his mother became increasingly intolerant and obsessively religious throughout her life. Campana was frequently at odds with his parents, especially his mother, and they observed their son’s aberrant behavior from grade school until his eventual permanent confinement to the asylum of San Salvi in 1918. His family believed the origins of his malady were hereditary. Although Campana spent time in different mental hospitals between 1903 and 1918, he attended the University of Bologna in 1903, 1905, and from 1912 through 1913, and the University of Genoa in 1913.
Campana’s slow slide into insanity resulted in numerous conflicts with authorities in Italy and in the many countries he visited. He was institutionalized repeatedly by his parents or the police, and the official prognosis that he was insane, rendered in 1906, dominated his relationships with his family and society for the rest of his life. Sometime between 1907 and 1908, the family sent Campana abroad, and he worked at various jobs in South America, including stints as a miner, fireman, juggler, gypsy, pianist in brothels, coal man on a steamship, and worker at a rifle range.
When he returned to Marradi in 1908, Campana wrote the foundation for his most influential work and the only one published during his lifetime, the collection Canti Orfici, for which he has been called the founder of modern Italian poetry. His innovation with language in the poetry and prose selections included in the work has been classified as groundbreaking and avant- garde. Although the original manuscript was lost en route to publication, Campana reproduced the work from minor notes and memory, and this contributed to his legend, with people theorizing that a far superior work had been lost. When the first manuscript, entitled Il piu lungo giorno, was recovered in 1971, the second version, Canti Orfici, was ironically judged to be the superior work.
During the last years before his final breakdown, and after the publication of Canti Oorfici, Campana lived in Florence and enjoyed a brief period of respect, tending personally to the sales of his book. Fleeing persecution because of the book’s dedication to the German emperor, Campana tried to enlist in the Italian army as a volunteer, but was rejected. In August, 1916, Campana began a love affair with the writer Sibilla Alermo that led to bouts of drunkenness and violence, frequently resulting in his arrest. His behavior became more strange and unpredictable, and he suffered from hallucinations, fits of temper, painful migraines, and other serious problems. As a result, he was committed by order of the mayor of Lastra a Signa, where Campana was staying with his father. Campana died of septicemia in an asylum in 1932, feeling even more bereft after noting the changes made without his permission to the 1928 second edition of Canti Orfici.