Giovanni Comisso
Giovanni Comisso was an Italian prose writer born on October 3, 1895, who gained prominence primarily through his essays and novels. His early life was shaped by his middle-class upbringing and his enlistment in the army just before World War I, during which he began to write poetry influenced by notable figures like Baudelaire and Nietzsche. His wartime experiences inspired his acclaimed novel, *Giorni di guerra*, released in 1930, which received critical recognition for its portrayal of the war. Comisso's diverse career spanned roles as a trader, art dealer, and freelance journalist, during which he honed his storytelling skills and gained respect within the European literary community.
In the early 1930s, Comisso traveled extensively through Japan and China, producing an erotic travelogue titled *Amori d'oriente* in 1947. He later returned to his hometown of Treviso, where he embraced a quieter life as a writer while forming significant relationships that deeply impacted him. Notably, the execution of his partner, Guido Bottegal, left a profound mark on his life. Comisso's body of work is characterized by themes of personal experience and exploration, although many of his writings do not fit the traditional novel format. He passed away at the age of seventy-four, leaving behind a legacy reflective of his free spirit and love for travel.
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Giovanni Comisso
Author
- Born: October 3, 1895
- Birthplace: Treviso, Italy
- Died: January 21, 1969
- Place of death: Treviso, Italy
Biography
Giovanni Comisso, a prose writer best known for his essays, was born October 3, 1895, in Italy, to middle-class parents. Just prior to Italy’s entrance into World War I, he enlisted in the army while in his late teens. While in the army, he wrote poetry influenced by Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and Nietzsche; Comisso later published the work, Poesie, in 1916. His enlistment experience provided fodder for his work, Giorni di guerra (1930), a novel touted by critics of the time to be among the best books written about World War I.
Comisso embarked on various careers including trader, art dealer, and bookseller. He attended universities in Rome, Genoa, Padua, and Siena, where he graduated. After his education, he spent almost a decade as a freelance journalist, establishing his talents as a writer and a storyteller that earned him high recognition and status in the European literary community.
During the early thirties, he toured Japan and China, writing a sort of erotica travelogue published as Amori d’oriente (1947). Comisso had a free spirit and a love for travel and the sea. Many of his books incorporate these aspects of his personality.
In the mid-1930’s, he returned to his hometown, Treviso, to live a simple, writer’s life. This was a settled period, and a time when he had significant relationships. The first was with Bruno Pagan, a young man who stayed with Comisso for a short period; the second was with another young man, Guido Bottegal, who was tragically mistaken for a fascist spy and executed by partisans, which affected Comisso deeply. He later built another, grander house in Treviso and adopted his chauffeur’s illegitimate children.
Comisso authored a number of prose and essay pieces that drew from his instinct and life experiences. Most of these works could not be considered novels in the full sense, and critics contemporary to the publication of Il delitto di Fausto Diamante (1930) speculate that he added the subheading “A Novel” to satisfy their clamoring for a work in that order. Comisso died at the age of seventy-four.