Eugenio Cirese
Eugenio Cirese was an influential figure born in 1884 in Fossalto, Campobasso, Italy, who significantly contributed to the cultural and educational landscape of his native region, Molise. Initially an elementary school teacher and administrator, Cirese also engaged in journalism and political activism, advocating for the recognition of Molise's cultural heritage. His notable work includes the collection of Molisan folk songs, with his first volume, "Canti popolari e sonetti in dialetto molisano," published in 1910, and a later compilation, "Canti popolari del Molise," released in 1953. Cirese's poetry, which spanned several decades, showcased his commitment to the regional dialect, establishing him as a founder of Molisan dialect poetry. He also authored an educational primer, "Gente buona," reflecting his dedication to contemporary educational reform in Italy. Throughout his life, Cirese played a pivotal role in preserving the identity and history of the Molisan people during a period when the region sought greater autonomy. He passed away in Rieti, Italy, in 1955, leaving behind a legacy that highlights the significance of regional culture and education in Italy.
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Eugenio Cirese
Writer
- Born: February 21, 1884
- Birthplace: Fossalto, Campobasso, Italy
- Died: February 8, 1955
- Place of death: Rieti, Italy
Biography
Eugenio Cirese was born in Fossalto, Campobasso, Italy, in 1884. After completing his education, he was an elementary school teacher and administrator in several Italian cities. He also worked as a journalist and was a political activist. In his various professional and creative roles, he promoted his native Region of Molise in south-central Italy, chronicling the area’s history and culture.
Cirese’s early creative work demonstrates one of his primary concerns: the collection of Molisan folk songs. His first collection of these songs, Canti popolari e sonetti in dialetto molisano, was published in 1910. He also edited a collection of popular songs from Molise, Canti popolari del Molise, which was published in 1953.
He published numerous volumes of his poetry, from the earliest, Sciure de fratta, in 1910, to the last, Poesie molisane, published posthumously in 1955. Between these poetical outpourings, he produced a regional school primer, Gente buona, in 1925; in that book, he demonstrates his understanding of, and commitment to, the contemporary educational reform movement.
During the first decade of the twentieth century, Molise, which was then part of the now-defunct Region of Abruzzi and Molise, sought ethnic, cultural, and political autonomy. As autonomy became unattainable during the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, the idea of a Molisan homeland was kept alive on the cultural level by the educational reforms of Giovanni Gentile, minister of public instruction, and by Lombardo Radice’s pedagogical recommendations for elementary schools. Elementary school teachers became leaders in an effort to educate all Italian people, and Cirese was at the forefront of this movement as an elementary school teacher and school administrator, author of the primer Gente buona, and poet.
Cirese is considered the founder of Molisan dialect poetry, using the specific language of his native region to describe the unique history and identity of the Molisan people. Ironically, at the same time Cirese was writing Molisan dialect poetry, the creation of dialect poetry in other Italian regions was substantially on the decline. Cirese died in Rieti, Italy, in 1955.