Vincenzo Cardarelli
Vincenzo Cardarelli, born Nazareno Caldarelli on May 1, 1887, in Tarquinia, Italy, was a notable poet and literary figure whose early life was marked by personal hardships, including the loss of his parents. Raised by his father and stepmother until their deaths, he faced financial struggles that forced him to move to Rome at the age of seventeen. Despite a limited formal education, Cardarelli found solace in literature, eventually working as a feature writer and publishing his first poetry collection, "Prologhi," in 1916.
Cardarelli's poetry often reflects his challenging childhood and idealizes his homeland, drawing early inspiration from poets like Charles Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud. However, he later shifted his focus towards classical influences, particularly the works of Petrarch and Giacomo Leopardi, as he sought authenticity in Italian literature. He co-founded the conservative literary review "La Ronda" in 1919, which opposed avant-garde movements and solidified his role as a significant voice of cultural conservatism in Rome. Cardarelli continued to shape the literary landscape through his editorial work with "La fiera letteraria" from 1949 to 1959. Although some critics view him as a minor poet, he garnered considerable respect among his contemporaries and remained active in Rome's literary circles until his passing on June 15, 1959.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Vincenzo Cardarelli
Journalist
- Born: May 1, 1887
- Birthplace: Tarquinia, Italy
- Died: June 15, 1959
- Place of death: Rome, Italy
Biography
Nazareno Caldarelli (pseudonym Vincenzo Caldarelli) was born in Tarquinia, Italy, on May 1, 1887. The illegitimate son of Antonio Romagnoli and Giovanna Caldarelli, the infant Caldarelli was raised by his father and stepmother. Both his father and stepmother died when Cardarelli was very young, and Cardarelli did not know his birth mother until he was an adult.
Cardarelli was a solitary and troubled child and did not attend school past the fifth grade. As a young boy, he spent his days wandering from house to house in the village after the deaths of his father and stepmother, eventually moving to Rome when he was seventeen years old. Nearly penniless, Cardarelli relied on the charity of strangers for his survival. In Rome, he earned a meager living at various occupations, working at a clock shop, for an attorney, and for an accountant. He purchased books, which he loved, whenever he could. Eventually, he was able to earn a living as a feature writer for the publication, Avanti, and published his first poems in 1913.
Cardarelli’s first collection of poetry, Prologhi , was published in 1916, during World War I. His work often idealized his troubled childhood and presented a mythical vision of his homeland. Although the poetry of Charles Baudelaire and Arthur Rimbaud exerted an influence on Cardarelli early in his career, the author later turned from experimental literature to find more inspiration in Petrarch and the Italian poet Count Giacomo Leopardi, who was Cardarelli’s primary influence in his search for authenticity in Italian literature.
In this search for authenticity, Cardarelli revolted against the notion of modernity in his poetry and looked to classical models, used traditional literary techniques, and sung the praises of Italy’s glorious past. His classical literary and social perspective was exhibited in the conservative literary review, La Ronda, which Cardarelli cofounded in 1919 with, among others, Emilio Cecchi and Riccardo Bacchelli. This journal, which was created in opposition to avant-garde movements such as futurism and hermetic poetry, established Cardarelli as one of the principal voices of cultural conservatism in Rome. He later edited the literary weekly La fiera letteraria from 1949 until 1959, and this publication also exerted a wide influence on the social and literary landscape of the time. Cardarelli was active in the literary circles of Rome until his death on June 15, 1959. Although some critics consider him a minor poet, Cardarelli’s work earned him widespread respect among his contemporaries.