Letteratura
The
name of Giacomo Leopardi, associated to his inseparable ties with his
place of origin, has perhaps, in time, overshadowed other Marchigiani
personalities who have also enriched, over the centuries, our literary
heritage.
For
example Annibal Caro who, born in Civitanova Marche in 1507, his name is
attached to the wide spread translation of Eneide
of Virgilio. However he was also a writer and poet and in the middle of
the 16th century became secretary to Alessandro Farnese,
important cardinal and patron of artists and scholars.
It was in this role that Caro earned his fame and had the opportunity to
mix with the most important people of his time. His greatest operas are
the enjoyable Lettere familiari,
the Commedia degli Straccioni
and l’Apologia degli accademici
di Banchi di Roma contro messer Lodovico Castelvetro, in which
Annibal Caro composed a lively image of society and his contemporaries.
Until the middle of the 19th century, Civitanova Marche
dedicated the communal theatre to their famous fellow citizen.
An
avid and admired reader of the Lettere
familiari was Giacamo Leopardi, who perhaps found the book during
his time spent in the family library. Born in 1798 in Recanati (where
the poet will be always be remembered with a mixture of love and hatred),
from a young age he was interested in both classic and modern languages,
philosophy and science.
His agonising literary search brought him unhappiness and deepened his
already physical suffering, such sufferance and pessimism which
continually consumed Leopardi’s state of mind; always conscious of
man’s useless suffering in his search of unattainable happiness.
The Idylls that he left are noted all over the world, for example Le
rimembranze, L’infinito, All luna, Il Risorgimento, A Silvia, Canzoni, and other important writings such as the Operette
morali, the Canti, the Dialogo di
Tristano e di un amico, the
Dialago di un venditore di almanacchi e di un passagere and also his
anthologies regarding the prose and poetry of art. He died in 1837 in
Naples, whilst guest of his friend Antonio Ranieri, however his operas
will be read and loved everywhere, for a long time yet.
Upon
the death of Leopardi, a great literary fervour started up in Le Marche:
many different personalities sprung up in the literary field, for
example Luigi Mercatini, born in Ripatransone in 1821 and remembered
above all for having written L’Inno
a Garabald.
The poet and playwright Ugo Betti, born in Camerino in 1892 (where for
some years a drama prize has been awarded in his name), known
particularly for Corruzione al palazzo di giustiza, a tradegy of justice and of power which he
wrote in 1949.
Fabio Tombari, born in Fano in 1899, a writer deeply tied to his
homeland, a place from which he continuously drew inspiration for his
tales, often crossing surreal tones and carnascialeschi
the more traditional identity. Fano also remembers its famous fellow
citizen by offering a literary prize in his name.
It
is also necessary to cite other excellent contemporary scholars from Le
Marche, such as Umberto Piersanti who, born in Urbino in 1944, continued
to enrich the literary history of our region, telling of the colours and
magle. Pursuing the ideal
initially searched for by Leopardi, Giuseppe Bonura from Ancona, winner
of the 1984 prize Premio Grinzane Cavour, wrote, amongst other things, Le
notti del cardinale, an allegorical-historical story inspired by the
memory of Monaldo Leopardi, father of the great poet.