About
Giacomo Leopardi, born in Recanati in 1798, is a major figure of Italian literature. Self-taught, he mastered several ancient and modern languages in his youth. His fragile health, due to intense study, marked his life. He turned to lyric poetry and published patriotic odes, then his major collection, the Canti, and the Operette morali, philosophical dialogues expressing a radical pessimism. His journal, the Zibaldone, is a considerable introspective work. He died in Naples in 1837.
* 1798-06-28 — † 1837-06-14
Major works
- Canti (1831)poetry collection
- Operette morali (1827)philosophical prose
- Zibaldonephilosophical notebook
- All'Italia (1818)ode
- La ginestra (1836)poem
Key milestones
- 1798Born in Recanati, in the Papal States.
- 1818Publication of his first patriotic odes.
- 1837Death in Naples during a cholera epidemic.
Themes
PessimismNatureSufferingIllusionMemory
Sources: britannica.com · poetryfoundation.org · cms-www-adm.bnf.fr