Novelist, language theorist, poet, and dramatist, Alessandro Manzoni embodies the literary, linguistic and political concerns of nineteenth-century Italy. Best known for his I promessi sposi (The Betrothed, 1840), an epic tale of contested love, war, plague and famine set in seventeenth-century Spanish-ruled Milan, Manzoni also celebrated major historical events in his poetry and plays. “Il cinque maggio” (“The Fifth of May”, 1821), an ode on the death of Napoleon, remains one of the most popular lyric poems of all time. Manzoni’s best known tragedies also reveal the author’s predilection for refiguring the past: “Il conte di Carmagnola” (“The Count of Carmagnola”, 1819) tells …
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Citation: Carolan, Mary Ann McDonald. "Alessandro Manzoni". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 March 2010 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2925, accessed 21 November 2024.]
