Scipio Slataper (14 July 1888 – 3 December 1915) was an Italian writer, most famous for his lyrical essay ''

My Karst My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Mark ...

''. He is considered, alongside

Italo Svevo Aron Hector Schmitz (19 December 186113 September 1928), better known by the pseudonym Italo Svevo (), was an Italian writer, businessman, novelist, playwright, and short story writer. A close friend of Irish novelist and poet James Joyce, Svevo ...

, the initiator of the prolific tradition of Italian literature in Trieste.

Biography

Slataper was born to a relatively wealthy middle-class family in the city of

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, then part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(today in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

). After completing his high school studies in the native city, he moved to

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

in Italy, where he studied Italian philology. In Florence, he collaborated to the literary journal '' La Voce'', edited by

Giuseppe Prezzolini Giuseppe Prezzolini (27 January 1882 – 16 July 1982) was an Italian literary critic, journalist, editor and writer. He later became an American citizen. Biography Prezzolini was born in Perugia in January 1882, to Tuscan parents from Siena, Luig ...

and

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

. During his stay in Florence, he started writing essays and articles on the literary and cultural situation in Trieste. He maintained a close contact with his native city, collaborating with young

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

intellectuals from the

Austrian Littoral The Austrian Littoral (german: Österreichisches Küstenland, it, Litorale Austriaco, hr, Austrijsko primorje, sl, Avstrijsko primorje, hu, Osztrák Tengermellék) was a crown land (''Kronland'') of the Austrian Empire, established in 1849. ...

, both those who lived in Italy and those who remained in their native region. Slataper's circle included the journalist and critic Giulio Caprin, author

Giani Stuparich Giani Stuparich (April 4, 1891 – April 7, 1961) was an Italian writer. He was born in Trieste, then in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria ...

, his wife Elody Oblath and his brother

Carlo Stuparich Carlo Stuparich (3 August 1894 - 30 May 1916) was an Italian writer, patriot and war hero. His one substantive work was published only posthumously, on the initiative of his elder brother, Giovanni “Giani” Stuparich (1891-1961), another no ...

, the emerging literary critic

Silvio Benco Silvio () is an Italian language, Italian male name, the male equivalent of Silvia (disambiguation), Silvia. Sílvio is a variant of the name in Portuguese language, Portuguese. It is derived from the Latin language, Latin "Silvius", meaning "spiri ...

, and poets

Umberto Saba Umberto Saba (9 March 1883 – 26 August 1957) was an Italian poet and novelist, born Umberto Poli in the cosmopolitan Mediterranean port of Trieste when it was the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Poli assumed the pen name " ...

Virgilio Giotti Virgil Schönbeck (15 January 1885 – 21 September 1957), known by his pen name Virgilio Giotti, was an Italian poet writing both in Italian and in the Triestine dialect. Giotti's poetry "which is not so much linked to the vernacular tradition a ...

and

Biagio Marin Biagio Marin (1891–1985) was a Venetian poet, best known from his poems in the Venetian language, which had no literary tradition until then. In his writings he never obeyed rhetoric or poetics. He only employed a few hundred words for his po ...

. After the suicide of his lover in 1910, Slataper retired to the village of

Ocizla Ocizla (; it, Occisla) is a small village in the Municipality of Hrpelje-Kozina in the Littoral region of Slovenia, near the border with Italy The local church is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and belongs to the Parish of Klanec.Karst Plateau The Karst Plateau or the Karst region ( sl, Kras, it, Carso), also locally called Karst, is a karst plateau region extending across the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy. It lies between the Vipava Valley, the low hills sur ...

above Trieste, where he wrote his best-known work, the lyrical essay ''My Karst'' ( it, Il mio Carso), considered one of the masterpieces of Italian fin-de-siecle prose. The essay, in which

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

an influences can be seen, is an assertion of vitalism and primitive life force. The essay also contains political and philosophical reflections. Among other things, Slataper was polemical against the superficial business mentality of the Italian merchants of Trieste and criticized their

anti-Slavic Anti-Slavic sentiment, also known as Slavophobia, a form of racism or xenophobia, refers to various negative attitudes towards Slavic peoples, the most common manifestation is the claim that the inhabitants of Slavic nations are inferior to othe ...

prejudices. On the other hand, the work contains highly controversial depictions and reflection on the "suppressed brutal and barbaric nature" of the Slovene peasants from the area. ''My Karst'' was published in Florence in 1912, and it remained the only book Slataper published during his lifetime. In 1921, the book was translated into

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Benjamin Crémieux Benjamin Crémieux (1888–1944) was a French author, critic and literary historian. Early life Crémieux was born to a Jewish family in Narbonne, France in 1888. His family had long ties in the region, having 'settled in France as early as th ...

, which helped spread Slataper's popularity in Europe in the 1920s. After graduation in 1912, Slataper moved to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, where he taught Italian at the

local university Local colleges and universities (LCUs) are higher educational institutions that are being run by local government units in the Philippines. A local government unit (LGU) maybe a barangay, a municipality, city, or a province that puts up a post-sec ...

. When Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 24 May 1915, he moved to Italy and volunteered to join the Italian Army. He was sent to the front along the Isonzo River. In December 1915, he was killed in the

Fourth Battle of the Isonzo The Fourth Battle of the Isonzo was fought between the armies of Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in World War I, between 10 November and 2 December 1915. Overview In contrast to the previous three Battles o ...

in the hills surrounding the town of

Gorizia Gorizia (; sl, Gorica , colloquially 'old Gorizia' to distinguish it from Nova Gorica; fur, label= Standard Friulian, Gurize, fur, label= Southeastern Friulian, Guriza; vec, label= Bisiacco, Gorisia; german: Görz ; obsolete English ''Gorit ...

. Slataper had a crucial influence in the creation of a distinct literary tradition in Trieste. Authors influenced by him include Giani and Carlo Stuparich,

Fulvio Tomizza Fulvio Tomizza (26 January 1935 – 21 May 1999) was an Italian writer. He was born in Giurizzani di Materada in Istria, to a middle-class family. His mother was Margherita Frank Trento, born into a poor family of Slavic extraction. His father, ...

Enzo Bettiza Vincenzo Bettiza (7 June 1927 – 28 July 2017) was a Yugoslavian-born Italian novelist, journalist and politician. Biography Bettiza was born in Dalmatia, then part of Yugoslavia, in a rich Dalmatian Italian-Croatian family.Saša LjubičićBet ...

Susanna Tamaro Susanna Tamaro (; born 12 December 1957) is an Italian novelist and film director. She is an author of novels, stories, magazine articles, and children's literature. Her novel ''Va' dove ti porta il cuore'' (''Follow your Heart'') was a bestseller ...

Claudio Magris Claudio Magris (born 10 April 1939) is an Italian scholar, translator and writer. He was a senator for Friuli-Venezia Giulia from 1994 to 1996. Life Magris graduated from the University of Turin, where he studied German studies, and has been a ...

and others. He also influenced several Slovene writers, most notably

Marjan Rožanc Marjan Rožanc (21 November 1930 – 18 September 1990) was a Slovenian author, playwright, and journalist. He is mostly known for his essays, and is considered one of the foremost essayists in Slovene, along with Ivan Cankar, Jože Javoršek ...

and

Igor Škamperle Igor Škamperle (born 21 November 1962) is a Slovenian sociologist, cultural theorist, novelist, essayist, mountaineer and translator. He was born in a Slovene-speaking family in Trieste, Italy. He studied comparative literature and cultural s ...

Works

*''Il mio Carso''. Florence: Libreria della Voce, 1912 (''My Karst and My City and Other Essays''. Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Elena Coda. Translated by Nicholas Benson and Elena Coda. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2020). *''I confini necessari all'Italia''. Turin: L'Ora Presente, 1915. *''

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

'' (with an introduction by Arturo Farinelli). Turin: Bocca, 1916. *''Scritti letterari e critici'' ("Literary and Political Writings"), edited by

. Rome: La Voce, 1920. *''Scritti politici'' ("Political Writings"). Rome: A. Stock, 1925. *''Lettere'' ("Letters"), edited by Giani Stuparich. Turin: Buratti, 1930. *''Epistolario'', edited by Gianni Stuparich. Verona: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1950. *''Appunti e note di diario'', edited by Giani Stuparich. Milan: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1953. *''Alle tre amiche: lettere'', edited by Giani Stuparich. Verona: A. Mondadori, 1958. *''Le lettere a Maria'', edited by Cesare Pagnini. Rome: G. Volpe, 1981. *''Passato ribele: dramma in un atto''. Trieste: Edizioni Dedolibri, 1988.

References

Biography on Trieste.com

Biography

Works

See also

References

Further reading