Giuseppe Parini (23 May 1729 – 15 August 1799) was an Italian enlightenment

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Under Contemporary, 1930-196 ...

and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

of the neoclassic period.

Biography

Parini (originally spelled Parino) was born in Bosisio (later renamed Bosisio Parini in his honour) in

Brianza Brianza (, , lmo, label= Brianzöö dialect, Briànsa) is a geographical, historical and cultural area of Italy, at the foot of the Alps, in the northwest of Lombardy, between Milan and Lake Como. Geography Brianza extends from the ...

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

from a poor family. His father, who was a petty silk trader, sent him to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

under the care of his great aunt: there he studied under the

Barnabites , image = Barnabites.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = One version of the Barnabite logo. "P.A." refers to Paul the Apostle and the three hills symbolize the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. , a ...

in the Arcimboldi Academy, while earning a living by copying manuscripts. In 1741 his great aunt left him a monthly payment, on condition that he enter the priesthood. Parini was thus ordained, although his religious studies were not profitable because of his need to work in a lawyer's office during his free time and his intolerance of the old-fashioned teaching methods used. In 1752, he published at

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

, under the pseudonym of "Ripano Eupilino", a small volume of selected poems, ''Alcune poesie'', which secured his election to the Accademia dei Trasformati at Milan, as well as to the

Accademia dell'Arcadia The Accademia degli Arcadi or Accademia dell'Arcadia, "Academy of Arcadia" or "Academy of the Arcadians", was an Italian literary academy founded in Rome in 1690. The full Italian official name was Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi. History F ...

at Rome. His poem, '' Il Giorno'' (The Day), consisting of ironic instructions to a young nobleman as to the best method of spending his days, which was to be published in three parts, marked a distinct advance in Italian

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th century", and Pa ...

. The first part, ''Il Mattino'' (Morning), was published in 1763 and at once established Parini's popularity and influence, and two years later a continuation (the second part) was published under the title of ''Il Mezzogiorno'' (Midday). The Austrian

plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ...

in Milan, Count Karl Joseph von Firmian, saw to the poet's advancement, first by appointing him editor of the ''Milan Gazette'', and then in 1769, in spite of the Jesuits, to a specially created chair of belles lettres in the

Palatine school A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

. When the French occupied Milan, Parini was appointed magistrate by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, but almost immediately retired to resume his literary work and to complete his poem by writing the third part, ''La Sera'' (Evening), of "The Day". But time had passed, he had become unsure, so he divided the third part in two, ''Il Vespro'' (Vesper) and ''La Notte'' (Night), published, both unfinished, after his death, which along with two other previous parts form what is collectively titled '' Il Giorno''. Among other poems his rather artificial ''Odi'', composed between 1757 and 1795, have appeared in various editions. He was associated with the

Accademia della Crusca The Accademia della Crusca (; "Academy of the Bran"), generally abbreviated as La Crusca, is a Florence-based society of scholars of Italian linguistics and philology. It is one of the most important research institutions of the Italian language ...

. Parini's work was accepted by younger poets mainly as a lesson in morality and freedom of thought.

Ugo Foscolo Ugo Foscolo (; 6 February 177810 September 1827), born Niccolò Foscolo, was an Italian writer, revolutionary and a poet. He is especially remembered for his 1807 long poem ''Dei Sepolcri''. Early life Foscolo was born in Zakynthos in the Io ...

, who met Parini in Milan, portrayed him as a serious, dignified person in Ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis and criticized the rich and corrupt town which had forgotten him, in

Dei sepolcri "Dei Sepolcri" ("Sepulchres") is a poem written by the Italian poet, Ugo Foscolo, in 1806, and published in 1807. It consists of 295 hendecasyllabic verses. The '' carme'' (as the author defined it) is dedicated to another poet, Ippolito Pindemon ...

He died in August 1799 in Milan. A statue of the poet occupies a place of honour in Milan's busy

Piazzale Cordusio Piazza Cordusio (also informally referred to as Piazzale Cordusio)The terms "piazza" and "piazzale" both refer to city squares, the latter being used for "larger" squares. While Cordusio is a rather large square, its formal name is "Piazza Cordusio ...

. His family still survives, with Katrine Cereda-Parini being the youngest known relative to continue the name to this day.

Libretto

Ascanio in Alba ''Ascanio in Alba'', K. 111, is a pastoral opera in two parts (') by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Parini. It was commissioned by the Empress Maria Theresa for the wedding of her son, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, to Mari ...

'', music by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

(1771)

Publications

*Giuseppe Parini (trans. Herbert Morris Bower). ''The Day Morning, Midday, Evening, Night : a Poem''. Westport, Conn: Hyperion Press, 1978.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parini, Giuseppe 1729 births 1799 deaths People from the Province of Lecco Italian Roman Catholics 18th-century Italian poets Italian male poets Italian satirists Western Lombard language Italian male non-fiction writers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's librettists 18th-century non-fiction writers 18th-century Italian male writers