D'Annunzio, Gabriele (1863-1938)

Italian poet, novelist, and dramatist. Marking a departure from 19th-century Italian literary traditions, his use of language and style of writing earned him much criticism in his own time. His novels, often combining elements of corruption, snobbery, and scandal, include L'innocente/The Intruder (1891) and Il triomfo della morte/The Triumph of Death (1894).

His first volume of poetry, Primo vere/In Early Spring (1879), was followed by further collections of verse, short stories, novels, and plays (he wrote the tragedies La Gioconda (1899) and Francesca da Rimini (1901) for the actor Eleonora Duse).

Elected deputy in 1897, he associated himself with the right-wing nationalism of the pre-war years, and was a controversial advocate of interventionism 1914-15, turning public opinion to the side of the Allies in 1915. After serving in World War I, he led an expedition of volunteers 1919 to capture the Dalmatian port of Fiume, which he held until 1921. His style of rule prefigured fascism, especially in its aestheticization of politics. He became a national hero, and was created Prince of Montenevoso in 1924. Influenced by the German philosopher Nietzsche's writings, he later became an ardent exponent of fascism.

Other works Terra vergine/Virgin Land is a continuation in prose of Primo vere; it was followed by Canto nuovo/New Song (1882). Other early works are Intermezzo di rime/An Interlude of Verses (1883); San Pantaleone/St Pantaleone (1886), a collection of short stories; Odi navali/Ship's Odes (1893); La canzone di Garibaldi/The Song of Garibaldi (1901); Elegie romane/Roman Elegies (1892); and Laudi/Hymns of Praise (1903-12).

Among his novels are Il piacere/The Child of Pleasure (1889), an autobiographical book with a Nietzschean hero (Nietzsche's influence is also seen in L'innocente); Le vergine della rocce/The Maidens of the Rocks (1896); and Il fuoco/The Flame of Life (1900), which reflects his affair with Eleonora Duse. His plays include La figlia di Iorio/The Daughter of Iorio (1904) and Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien/The Martyrdom of St Sebastian (1911), written in French. Notturno/Nocturne (1921) describes his experience of blindness after an air crash in World War I.