Luigi Ugolini (25 June 1891 – 22 June 1980) was an Italian writer. He is best known for his series of fictionalized biographies of Italian leaders in art and science, and for a volume of work that immortalizes traditions, values and ways of life of

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. Ugolini left an early career as a lawyer to write, and his literary works, many of which are inducted as scholastic required reading in Italian schools, earned a worldwide reputation and several prestigious literary awards. He was also a painter, an expert ornithologist and

gastronome Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gast ...

Biography

Luigi Ugolini descended from a noble family of Tuscany whose recorded lineage dates back to 1585 in Arezzo, Italy. Ugolini was born in Florence, where his

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

-born father and his grandfather both had medical practices. Ugolini was a nobleman who was known to prefer the company of poor farmers in the regions of

Maremma The Maremma (, ; from Latin , "maritime and) is a coastal area of western central Italy, bordering the Tyrrhenian Sea. It includes much of south-western Tuscany and part of northern Lazio. It was formerly mostly marshland, often malarial, bu ...

, whom he described as truer gentlemen than many of those so-called gentlemen in the city. Accounts depict Ugolini as playful as he was honestly outspoken. He married Lina Vaselli, and the couple had seven children, four sons and three daughters. Ugolini attended the

Military Academy of Modena The Military Academy of Modena ( it, Accademia militare di Modena) is a military university in Modena, northern Italy. Located in the Palazzo Ducale in the historic center of the city, it was the first such military institution to be created in ...

and graduated from the University of Pisa with a degree in Law, mainly to honor his father's wishes. After 10 years of practicing law, he made a dramatic move to devote his life to his calling of letters. He was introduced by

Giovanni Papini Giovanni Papini (9 January 18818 July 1956) was an Italian journalist, essayist, novelist, short story writer, poet, literary critic, and philosopher. A controversial literary figure of the early and mid-twentieth century, he was the earliest and ...

in Nuova Antologia the leading Italian literary magazine (New Anthology). Ugolini's novels document and give voice to the nearly invisible Tuscan way of life, now absorbed into near nonexistence by a modernized and globalized Italy. For example, in his story of the fearless Domenico Tirbuzi, a Florentine Robin Hood of the poor masses, Ugolini preserves the dialogue,

Tuscan dialect Tuscan ( it, dialetto toscano ; it, vernacolo, label=locally) is a set of Italo-Dalmatian varieties of Romance mainly spoken in Tuscany, Italy. Standard Italian is based on Tuscan, specifically on its Florentine dialect, and it became the ...

, and archaic words particular to the Maremma vernacular. Ugolini's ''The Story of My Land'' immortalizes bread making, cooking and many details of classic country life in a now changing Tuscany. Ugolini was godfather to his granddaughter, the novelist/poet

Vanna Bonta Vanna Bonta (April 3, 1953 – July 8, 2014) was an Italian-American writer, actress, and inventor. She wrote '' Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel''. As an actress, Bonta played "Zed's Queen" in ''The Beastmaster''. She performed primarily as a voi ...

. He named her

Vanna Vanna () is a given name that first appeared in recorded European history circa 1294. The Italian medieval feminine name originated in Tuscany, and is particular to Florence, Italy. Though similar in pronunciation to the Italian name Giovanna, an ...

after the female character in

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's "La Vita Nuova." Lydia Ugolini, Ugolini's eldest daughter and a popular children's writer, returned to the Ugolini home after becoming widowed in 1964. She was appointed by Ugolini as executrix of his literary and personal estate in 1972, and later named to that position by Ugolini's last will and testament. She worked with her father and cared for him until his death in 1980. In his will, Ugolini left half of his estate to Lydia Ugolini, the maximum allowable to a testator by Italian law, and the remainder was divided among his other living children and descendants. Ugolini and his wife were married over sixty years at the time of her death in 1975. He died at home in Florence. His body is interred in the ''Porte Sante'' (Holy Doors) cemetery at the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte, Florence. On his death bed, Ugolini told his daughter Lydia that he had always been true to his wife, her mother, and was still in love with her. He added that she was the only woman he had loved and that he would marry her again. His last murmured words were, "Una pagina bianca" (literally "a white page" but meaning "a blank page" or "a new page").

Literary career

Ugolini wrote fiction and novelized historical biographies for adults and young readers, many of which are required reading in Italian schools. In all, he published over 120 works, including technical manuals, radio dramas, scholastic texts, handbooks, cookbooks, and scientific essays. In 1916, Luigi Ugolini published ''Ex Corde'', a collection of poems with themes about Nature, eternal war, and humanity. He was living as a second lieutenant after his graduation from the Military Academy of Modena and embarked in a law career for ten years, but this volume first publicly revealed Ugolini a poet. The book of the then-unknown author earned high praise in ''La Nazione'' reviews by noted writers of that epoch that included

Grazia Deledda Grazia Maria Cosima Damiana Deledda (; 27 September 1871 – 15 August 1936), also known in Sardinian language as Gràssia or Gràtzia Deledda (), was an Italian writer who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1926 "for her idealistically ...

and Giovanni Marradi. Ugolini was featured in many publications. He also contributed as a journalist to leading Italian newspapers, among them ''

La Nazione ''La Nazione'' is one of the oldest regional newspapers in Italy, and was established on 8 July 1859. The paper is based in Florence. History and profile ''La Nazione'' was founded by Bettino Ricasoli, interim head of the Tuscan government. Th ...

'' and ''Messaggero''. Following the review of an early work, ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' Book Review (3 June 1934) stated: "an extremely interesting biography of the one notorious brigand of the Maremma, Tiburzi, from the pen of Luigi Ugolini, painter and hunter, whose ''Il nido di Falasco'' (1932) first attracted attention to his possibilities as a man of letters. Ugolini will bear watching." After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Ugolini concentrated on literary work for youths, creating the famous series of "Novelized Biographies" for the Paravia, Società Editrice Internazionale (SEI), and Minerva Italica publishing houses. Ugolini's passion for the land, adventure, and human sensibilities continues to spark the imaginations of youth. Through keen and warm humanization of great artists and leaders, original novels dedicated to "the young of all ages", and a breadth of genres that includes fantasy and science fiction, Ugolini has influenced generations. "Ugolini's degree in jurisprudence ultimately honored his father's wishes in a larger courtroom, on the human stage where, whether history or fiction, he treats and judges his characters with keen, compassionate justice in its barest and most universal sense, one which respects humanity using measures beyond wealth and power, measures that apply to the fundamental heart and honor of any human being." In 1983, Ugolini's "Tales of Hunting, Fishing, Life" ("Olimpia di Vallecchi") posthumously earned Italy's Prize of Bancerello Sport.

Translations

The Austrian Ministry of Education acknowledged Ugolini in the noted publication "Jugendbuch Autoren aus allen Welt," edited by Lucia Binder for Italy. Ugolini's works have been translated into Japanese and most European languages (German, Romanian, Czech, Hungarian, Portuguese, Serb-Croatian, Spanish) and have won numerous literary prizes.

National monument

On 11 December 1993 the Commune of Florence affixed a commemorative marble plaque to the Ugolini home in Florence, declaring the house a national monument. The epigraph on the plaque was unveiled during a government dedication ceremony in which some officials wore Renaissance-period clothing styles. In English, the epigraph reads, "Here for many years the Florentine writer and poet Luigi Ugolini gave voice to the beauty and humanity of his land and his people.", Throughout his life, Ugolini referred to himself as an

Etruscan __NOTOC__ Etruscan may refer to: Ancient civilization *The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy *Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization **Etruscan architecture **Etruscan art **Etruscan cities ** Etrusca ...

, as did his publishers. In a preface ''About Luigi Ugolini'' (1965), his publisher, Paravia, added the comment: “His work adheres to its spirit and its inspiration, to the ancient region that always gave, by particular grace, the most iconic figures of art and science. Because his work has, of the

region, the ancient mysterious spell, like the luminous Florentine hills and the deep silences of Volterra.”

Political activity

Known as a poet whose writings were a flame to conscience and ethical thinking, Ugolini is remembered as a brave spirit who considered indifference among the most reprehensible of sins. On 27 April 1940 Ugolini was arrested by the Fascist police for his essays against the regime. When Benito Mussolini's political movement began to establish alliances with Germany, Ugolini protested and predicted the misfortune of entering World War II in alliance with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. He was tried and condemned by the Special Court to two years of confinement as a political prisoner. Legends of Ugolini are still told in smaller towns of the Tuscan countryside. He is said to have packed his seven children into a car after a dishonest business manager lost their country villa, and to have lit a cigarette with a piece of money to show disdain for greed. Another legend tells of his arrest by the Fascist police. According to this legend, his daughter Maria Luisa went to the garden to announce to her father they had visitors, two men who claimed to be from

Cinecittà Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City Studios), is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios we ...

. When Ugolini asked his daughter for her impression of them, she gave him the hand signal for "so-so." Ugolini quietly instructed her to hide his typewriter. The two men in fact were Fascist police in disguise, and they arrested him. After interrogation and threats against his family, Ugolini admitted being the anonymous author of the anti-Fascist essays. Ugolini asked for copies of the essays in question, a pen, and a cigarette, and then he signed his name to each essay. He was spared execution because Mussolini admired his novel ''La Zolla'' and saw that the public opinion of Ugolini was too favorable.

Awards and honors

* Premio Nazionale Città di

Biella Biella (; pms, Biela; la, Bugella) is a city and ''comune'' in the northern Italian region of Piedmont, the capital of the province of the same name, with a population of 44,324 as of 31 December 2017. It is located about northeast of Turin a ...

, 1935, for ''La Zolla'' * Premio dell'Accademia d'Italia ( Accademia dei Lincei), 1936, for ''The Skua of White Island'' (Societa Editrice Internazionale) * Premio Castello, 1962, for ''The Skua of White Island'' (Societa Editrice Internazionale) * Premio Bancerello Sport, 1983, for ''Tales of Hunting, Fishing, Life'' (Olimpia)

Bibliography

Novelized biographies

* ''The Story of

Beato Angelico Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; February 18, 1455) was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, described by Vasari in his ''Lives of the Artists'' as having "a rare and perfect talent". Giorgio Vasari, ''Lives of the Artists''. Pengu ...

'' (Il romanzo di Beato Angelico) (Paravia) * ''The Story of Benvenuto Cellini'' (Il romanzo di Benvenuto Cellini) (Paravia) * ''The Story of

Brunelleschi Filippo Brunelleschi ( , , also known as Pippo; 1377 – 15 April 1446), considered to be a founding father of Renaissance architecture, was an Italian architect, designer, and sculptor, and is now recognized to be the first modern engineer, p ...

'' (Il romanzo di Brunelleschi), 1953 (Paravia) * ''The Story of Caravaggio'' (Il romanzo del Caravaggio), 1954 * ''The Story of

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...

'' (Il romanzo di Dante) * ''The Story of Monk Diavolo'' (Il romanzo di fra Diavolo), 1969 * ''The Story of Brother Sun'' (Il romanzo di frate sole) * ''The Story of Galileo'' (Il romanzo di Galileo), 1959, 1998 (Le Monnier) * ''The Story of

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, pat ...

'' (Il romanzo di Garibaldi), 1958 (Paravia) * ''The Story of Goldoni'' (Il romanzo di Goldoni) illustr. by Luigi Togliatto, 1954 (Paravia) * ''The Story of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

'' (Il romanzo di Giulio Cesare) * ''The Story of

Leonardo Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate ...

'' (Il romanzo di Leonardo), 1950 (G. B. Paravia) * ''The Story of

Lodovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describes the ...

'' (Il romanzo di Lodovico Ariosto), 1965 (Paravia) * ''The Story of Michelangelo'' * ''The Story of

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 ...

'' (Il romanzo di Napoleone), 1957 (Paravia) * ''The Story of

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...

'' (Il romanzo di Niccolò Machiavelli), 1973 (Paravia) * '' Paul VI'', (Paolo 6), 1969 (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Story of Messier Petrarc'' (Il romanzo di Messier Petrarca) (Paravia) * ''The Story of

Raffaello Raffaello, Raffaele or Raffaellino is an Italian given name. It usually refers to Raphael (a.k.a. Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino), an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. Raffaello may also refer to: * Raffaello (confection), a conf ...

'' * ''The Story of

Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola, OP (, , ; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498) or Jerome Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar from Ferrara and preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He was known for his prophecies of civic glory, the destruction o ...

'' (Il romanzo di Savonarola) (Paravia) * ''The Story of

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: th ...

'' (Il romanzo di Virgilio), 1951, (Paravia) * ''The Story of

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian (Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, nea ...

'' (Il romanzo di Tiziano) * ''The Story of Vespucci'' (Il romanzo di Vespucci) * ''The Story of Hannibal'' (Il romanzo di Annibale) illustr. by Marcello Vettor, 1962 * ''The Story of Ulysses'' (Minerva) * ''The Story of

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 ...

'' (Il romanzo di Ugo Foscolo) (Paravia)

Poetry

* ''Ex Corde'' 1916

Anthologies

* Fiordelverde – Antologia Italiana (Italian anthology for Middle Schools), 1951 (Paravia) Editor and Contributor

Novels into film

* Giuliano de' Medici (1941) * Musoduro (1953) * Nido di Falasco II (1950)Nido di Falasco
at the IMDb

Radio drama

*Seventy-seven Larks and a Husband (Settantasette lodole e un marito), 1934

Fiction, youth, and scholastic required reading

* ''The Story of "Him"'' (Il romanzo di "lui") * ''The Sod'' (La Zolla) * ''Wildlife Adventures'' (Storie di vita selvaggia), 1931 * ''The Nest of Falasco'' (Il nido di falasco), (Vallecchi, 1932) (Olimpia, 2001) * ''Domenico Tiburzi, Old Maremma'' (Domenico Tiburzi, vecchia maremma), 1933 (Vallecchi) * ''Birds of Italy'' (Reference book) (Dizionario dialettale italiano degli uccelli d'Italia : con 12160 voci dialettali e corrispondenti italiane) (Editor), 1938 Diana * ''Island of the Birds'' (L'isola degli uccelli), 1934 * ''Submerged Land'' (Terra Sommersa Nuova Antologia), 1935, introduction by

* ''A Boy and 1000 Creatures'' (Un Ragazzo e Mille Bestie) * ''Florence Lives'' (Firenze Viva), illustr. by Luciano Guarnieri, 1954 (Società Editrice Internazionale), 1979 (Longanesi) * ''Musoduro – Memoirs of a Poacher'' (Musoduro, Memorie di un Bracconiere), 1936 (Olimpia) * ''Around the World with Magellan'' (Con Magellano Intorno al Mondo), 1952 (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''With Marco Polo in the Court of Kublai Khan'' (Con Marco Polo alla Corte del Gran Kan), illustr. by R. Sgrilli, (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''Cavalry and Army, The Heroic Empress'' (prose narrative) ("Cavalieri e l'Armi", Le Eroiche Impresse dell'Orlando Furioso) * ''Son of Dante'' (Il Figlio di Dante) (historical novel), 1944, illustr. by A. Craffonara (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Condottieri of Italy'' (I Condottieri D'Italia), 1944 (Principato) * ''King of Gypsies'' (Il Re degli Zingari) Illustr. by D. Natoli, 1964 * ''When I Met God'' (Quando m'Incontrai Con Dio) * ''Pinocchio 2'' (sequel) (Il Seguito di Pinocchio), Illustr. R. Sgrilli (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The City of Fire'' (adventure thriller) (La città del fuoco), Illustr. by E. Dell'Acqua (Società Editrice Internazionale) * "The Wolf" – Stories of Fishing and Hunting (La lupa – Novelle di pesca e di caccia per tutti), Illustr. D. Natoli (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Little House'' (youth fiction) (La Piccola Casa ), 1951, Illustr. by R. Sgrilli (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Island Never Found'' (adventure thriller) (L'isola non-Trovata – Avventure del Mozzo Ramon), Illustr. L.Togliatto (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''Youth of Maremma'' ( Tuscan novellas) (Ragazzi di Maremma. Novelle toscane), 1940, illustr. by R. Sgrilli (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''We Navigate to the Orient'' (historical fiction) (Si naviga ad Oriente), illustr. by A. Craffonara (SEI) * ''Sotto le insegne del Ferruccio'' (romanzo storico), illustr. by F. Chiletto * ''A Boy and 1000 Creatures in Four Dimensions of Earth'' (Un Ragazzo e Mille Bestie in Quattro Palmi di Terra), 1951, illustr. by A.M. Nardi (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Castle of Dreams'' (Il Castello dei Sogni), 1952, illustr. by Piquillo (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''Pa of the Caverns'' (Pa delle caverne), 1956 (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''A Man Alone in the Forest'', a story for kids of 12 to 80 (Un Uomo Solo nel Bosco, racconto per ragazzi dai 12 agli 80 anni) illustrazioni del pittore Natoli) (illustr. by D. Natoli) (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''Toward a New World'' – The Story of Amerigo Vespucci (Verso un Nuovo Mondo. Il Romanzo di Amerigo Vespucci), illustr. by C. Monasterolo (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''Voices of the Sea and the Land'' (narrative prose) (Voci del Mare e della Terra), 1953 (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Story of My Land'' (Il romanzo della mia terra), cover by

Pietro Annigoni Pietro Annigoni, OMRI (7 June 1910 – 28 October 1988) was an Italian artist, portrait painter, fresco painter and medallist, best known for his painted portraits of Queen Elizabeth II. His work was in the Renaissance tradition, contrasting ...

, 1946, 1966 (Paravia) * ''Diana's Realm: Story of the Hunt Over Centuries'' (Il regno di Diana: storia della caccia attraverso i secoli), 1954 (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Poet of Sorrento''

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

(Il Poeta di Sorrento), 1995 (Società Editrice Internazionale) * ''The Skua of White Island'' (Gli Skua d'Isola Bianca), 1961 (Collana L'Aquilone) * ''With You, Father'' (Con Te, Babbo), 1967 (Paravia) * ''Those Days...'' (Quei giorni...), 1967 * ''Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner'' (Tuscan cookbook) – (Colazione Pranzo e Cena), 1969 (Casa Editrice Ceschina) * ''Queen Sky – Ten Months of Fascist Jail'', (Regina coeli – dieci mesi di carcere fascista), 1970, (Casa Editrice Ceschina) * ''Life Blooms in a Garden'' (La Vita Sboccia in un Giardino), 1970 (Centauri) * ''Tales of Hunting, Fishing and Life'' (Racconti di caccia, di pesca, di vita), 1982 (Olimpia) * ''Stories of the Hunt in Marsh and Hill'' (Storie di Caccia in Palude e in Collina), 2005 (Olimpia)

References

External links

*
Authors for Youth: Luigi Ugolini
Italian bibliographic resource
Ugolini Titles
OPAC Library; Italy; SBN info {{DEFAULTSORT:Ugolini, Luigi 1891 births 1980 deaths Italian biographers Male biographers Italian essayists Italian food writers 20th-century Italian historians Italian male journalists Italian male poets Writers from Florence Italian male novelists Italian gastronomes 20th-century Italian poets 20th-century Italian novelists 20th-century Italian male writers Male essayists 20th-century essayists 20th-century Italian journalists