Carducci, Giosuè (1835-1907)

Italian poet and critic. His revolutionary Inno a Satana/Hymn to Satan (1865) was followed by several other volumes of verse, in which his nationalist sympathies are apparent. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1906.

He was professor of Italian literature at Bologna 1860-1904, and won distinction through his lecturing, critical work, and poetry. Both as a poet and as a scholar, Carducci embodied the feelings and ideals of the Italian ruling class after unification. His main concern was to prove that Italy's former literary tradition could provide the background for developing a new culture which would gain Italy international respect.

The influence of European Romantic authors is noticeable in Giambi ed epodi (1867-69), a collection of poems where autobiographical elements often reach high epic tones. Of a more intimate and realistic nature are Rime nuove/New Rhymes (1861-87), where Carducci conveys most successfully his sense of deep nostalgia for his own, and Italy's, past.