Biography of Luigi Capuana

Verism and its manifesto

28 June 1839
November 29, 1915
Luigi Capuana was writer, literary critic and journalist, but above all one of the most important theorists of Verismo. Born on 28 may 1839 in Mineo, in Catania, from a family of wealthy landowners. After completing the municipal school, she enrolled at the Royal College of Bronte in 1851, but is forced to leave it due to health reasons after two years; Decides to continue his studies as an autodidact. So in 1857, after getting the license, he enrolled at the University's law school. Even in this case, however, he abandoned before graduating to serve as Secretary of the Committee his country's clandestine insurgency within theEnterprise garibaldina, and later to take up the post of Chancellor of the Civic Council newborn.

The first publications

In 1861 he publishes with the Publisher Caroline Galatola "Garibaldi" dramatic legend in three songs on the life of the hero of two worlds. A few years later he moved to Florence, intending to pursue literary adventure: here Luigi Capuana attends some of the most famous writers of the time, including Carlo Levi, capons and Aleardo Aleardi, and published in 1865 his early essays on "Italian Magazine". The following year he began collaborating with the newspaper "national" as a drama critic, and always on the Tuscan newspaper publishes, in 1867, "Dr. Thegirlwhowasdeath", his first novel freely inspired by "La boite d'Argent" by Dumas Fils.

Le novelle and Sicily

During this period he devoted himself particularly to the novels, most of which is inspired by the Sicilian life and to that of its lands. In 1868 Louis back in Sicily, intending to stay for a short time, but his stay on the island is extended because of his father's death and ensuing economic problems. Cameron is compelled, therefore, to find a job beyond the literary activity: after being appointed examiner, he was elected municipal councillor and then Mayor of Mineo. Meanwhile it is impassioned to Hegel's idealist philosophy and has the opportunity to read an essay entitled "after graduation", written by Angelo Camillo De Meis, positivist and Hegelian, who theorizes the evolution and disappearance of literary genres. In 1875 the writer begins an affair with Giuseppina Samson, a girl illiterate who had worked as a maid for his family: Giuseppina in subsequent years will give birth to several children, which will be entrusted to the Hospice of the foundlings of Caltagirone, to prevent Luigi Capuana -bourgeois extraction-man is forced to recognize children born from an affair with a woman of low social class.

Far from his homeland

After leaving Sicily, went temporarily in Rome, before reaching Milan-at the suggestion of his friend Giovanni Verga: in the shadow of the Madonna starts to work as a theatre critic and literary with il Corriere della Sera. Two years later with his first collection of short stories, entitled Brigola "profiles of women", while in 1879 dates "Jacinta" novel influenced by Emile Zola and considered the manifesto of Italian Verismo.

Subsequent work

In 1880 Capuana collects in two volumes of Studies on contemporary literature "his articles on Rod, Goncourt, Zola and other writers of the time, before returning to Mineo and start writing" Il Marchese di Santaverdina "(which will be published under the title of" Marquis of Roccaverdina "). In 1882, he recovered in Rome, he began directing the "Fanfulla della domenica" and publish "once upon a time", a collection of folk tales; in the following years elapsed between Sicily and Rome, are given to the press "Homo", "passionate" and "The village", collections of short stories. Between summer and winter of 1890 Luigi Capuana post to "new anthology" novel "perfume", while in 1898 back "The contemporary isms," published by Gandy. In 1900 he became Professor of Italian literature at the women's Institute of pedagogy, of Rome; while giving printed "the Marquis of Roccaverdina" and works the novel "Resignation", acquainted with Luigi Pirandello-his colleague to the Magisterium-Gabriele D'annunzio befriends. In 1902 he returned to Catania, where he has been teaching style and lexicography at the University Club. In 1909 publishes for blond "simple Syllabary for the male and female elementary", and the following year he writes for Bemporad novels "in the country of zagara". In 1912 he prints "first bloom with use of classes V and VI" and "you count and recounts ... minimum tales". Luigi Capuana died in Catania on 29 November 1915, shortly after the entry of Italy into the war.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.