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Carlo GozziItalian playwright
Date of Birth: 13.12.1720
Country:  Italy |
Content:
Biography of Carlo Gozzi
Carlo Gozzi was an Italian playwright born on December 13, 1720, in Venice. He received homeschooling and at the age of 16, he joined the military service in Dalmatia. Three years later, he returned to his homeland.
Aristocrat and Conservative
Gozzi was an aristocrat and conservative by nature, and he opposed any literary innovations. In 1757, he launched attacks on Carlo Goldoni and Pietro Chiari in the comedic almanac "La Tartana degli influssi" and in 1761, in the satirical poem "La Marfisa bizarra," which criticized Venetian society. Goldoni and Chiari had abandoned the traditional dell'arte comedy with its mask characters in favor of realism.
Fairy Tale Plays
Reviving the traditional comedy of masks, Gozzi wrote a series of fairy tale plays called "fiabe." These plays were based on children's stories and featured unusual settings, magical transformations, and familiar mask characters such as Pantalone and Truffaldino. "L'amore delle tre melarance" (The Love for Three Oranges), premiered on January 25, 1761, with resounding success and later served as the basis for Sergei Prokofiev's opera in 1921. In total, Gozzi composed 10 fiabe, including "Il Corvo" (The Raven, 1761), "Turandot" (1762), and "L'augellin belverde" (The Green Bird, 1765). Friedrich Schiller later adapted "Turandot," which became the basis for Giacomo Puccini's opera. Although these plays showcased Gozzi's imagination and dramatic talent, their impact was greatly influenced by the actors' performances.
Later Works
In the late 1780s, Gozzi began writing comedies in the style of Spanish "cloak and sword" plays. Around 1780, he started working on his memoirs, titled "Memorie inutili" (Useless Memories), which were published in 1797. This work vividly recreated the life and conflicts of Venetian society in which Gozzi was involved.
