Guido Gozzano
Guido Gozzano (1883-1916) was an Italian poet known for his role in the crepuscularismo movement, which emphasized a direct and unembellished style to convey nostalgia and memory. Born in Turin, he faced health challenges from a young age, which influenced his solitary lifestyle and artistic output. Gozzano initially pursued a law degree but turned his focus to literature, becoming a prominent member of the Turinese crepuscolari poetic school. His most significant work, "I colloqui" (Conversations), published in 1911, features celebrated poems, including "Miss Felicita."
Gozzano's health deteriorated due to pleurisy, leading him to spend time in the Ligurian coast and mountains, where he found inspiration and entered into an intense correspondence with poet Amalia Guglielmetti. Despite his struggles, he produced various literary works, including fairy tales and adult novels, and explored adaptations for theater and film. His posthumous collection "Verso la cuna del mondo" was published in 1917 following his death from tuberculosis. Gozzano's contributions continue to resonate in Italian literature, marking him as a significant figure despite his brief life.
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Guido Gozzano
Poet
- Born: December 19, 1883
- Birthplace: Turin, Italy
- Died: August 9, 1916
- Place of death: Turin, Italy
Biography
Guido Gustavo Gozzano was born in Turin, Italy, on December 19, 1883. He was the son of Faustus Gozzano, an engineer, and Diodata Mautino. He spent his earliest years at the homes of his family in Turin and Aglie. Relatively little attention was given to his early schooling as the fragile state of his health required so much of his parents’ attention.
In 1903, Gozzano enrolled in law school in Turin. He was soon drawn to the study of literature, however. He became a member of a group of young people who became known as the Turinese crepuscolari poetic school. Crepuscolarismo is described as a “direct, unadorned style to express nostalgic memories.” As Gozzano studied and spent his time with other writers, he began to publish his own works in newspapers and reviews. In 1906, he wrote La via del rifugio (road of the shelter). This volume was published in 1907.
In May of 1907, a severe case of pleurisy worsened his already precarious health. From this point, his life, of necessity, became more solitary. He began to spend time on the coast of the Liguria River and in the mountains. In this same year, he began a correspondence with poet Amalia Guglielmetti. The correspondence continued until 1909. The collection of their love letters, published in 1951, long after Gozzano’s death, has been called “one of the more intense documents of the Gozzaneana biography.” His I colloqui (conversations) grew out of these years of “creative happiness.”
I colloqui, which was published in 1911, is considered Gozzano’s most important work. It is made up of three sections: “Il giovinile errore” (juvenile error), “Alle soglie” (to the threshold), and “Il reduce” (the veteran). In this body of poems is found his most celebrated “Miss Felicita.” In this body of poems was initiated the poetic work “Le Farfalle” (the butterflies), which was continued, though not completed, in the newspaper La Stampa, published in 1914.
The state of his health led to his taking a cruise from February of 1912 through May of the following year. He visited India and Ceylon, writing, with the aid of his imagination and the works of others, about these and many more places than he could have visited in so short a time. The resultant body of work was Verso la cuna del mondo. It was published in 1917, one year after the poet succumbed to his illness (diagnosed as tuberculosis).
Over the course of his short life, Gozzano contributed to journals and literary reviews, and he wrote fairy tales for children: I due talismani was published in 1914, and La principessa si sposa was published in 1917. He also wrote tales—or novels—for adults: L’altare del passato was published in 1918, and L’ultima traccia was published in 1919. Always interested in theater and in film, he also worked to adapt his novels to stage and screen. Francisco D’Assisi, the film he was working on at the time of his death, was never produced. Guido Gustavo Gozzano died in Turin, the place of his birth, on August 9, 1916.