Giuseppe Parini
Parini, Giuseppe
Born May 23, 1729, in Bosisio, now Bosisio-Parini, Como; died Aug. 15, 1799, in Milan. Italian poet.
An outstanding teacher, Parini became a priest in 1754. His odes The Rural Life (1758), The Open Air (1759), and Upbringing (1764) glorify the man who is brought up with work and is close to nature. His central work is the narrative poem The Day (parts 1–4, 1763–1804), comprising Morning, Midday, Evening, and Night. The Day is a satire on the idleness and spiritual emptiness of the aristocracy; in lyrical digressions the sorrowful voice of a poet-citizen can be heard. Parini’s poetry represents one of the peaks of Italian Enlightenment classicism.
WORKS
Tutte le opere, edite ed inedite. Florence, 1925.REFERENCES
De Sanctis, F. Istoriia ital’ianskoi literatury, vol. 2. Moscow, 1964.Sapegno, N. Poetica e poesia del Parini. Rome, 1960.
Fubini, M., and E. Bonora. Interpretazione del Parini. Milan [1966].
Petronio, G. Parini e I’illuminismo lombardo, 2nd ed. Bari, 1972.