Pirandello Luigi, Italian writer: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Pirandello Luigi is a famous Italian playwright, novelist and short story writer. In 1934 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, this is only one of the reasons to get acquainted with his work. Pirandello Luigi created many interesting works that are still very popular.

Origin, childhood and university studies

The future writer was born in Girgenia (Sicily) in a large family. Luigi was the second of six children. His father was a successful businessman - he owned a sulfur mine. Luigi's literary talent manifested itself very early, during his school years. While still a teenager, he wrote poetry, and also composed the tragedy "The Barbarian", which, unfortunately, has not been preserved.

Pirandello tried to continue the family business for some time, but he was not very successful in this occupation. Luigi entered the University of Rome in 1887. But a year later he transferred to the University of Bonn, because the level of teaching did not satisfy him. Here Luigi studiedphilosophy and literature. In 1891, the writer graduated. His thesis was on Sicilian dialects.

Return to Rome

The first collection of poetry by Pirandello appeared in 1889 ("Joyful Pain"). This book shows the influence of Giosuè Carducci. After completing his studies, Pirandello decided to stay in Bonn. During the year he lectured at this educational institution.

The writer returned to Rome in 1893. With the financial support of his father, he began to seriously engage in literature. Pirandello's first novel, Rejected, appeared in 1901. In 1894, the first collection of short stories was published under the title "Love Without Love", created in the tradition of verism. The marriage of Pirandello belongs to the same year. His chosen one was the daughter of his father's companion, Antoinette Portulato. From marriage with this woman, Luigi had two sons and a daughter.

Teaching activity, first play

Pirandello in 1898 began working at the Pedagogical College in Rome, where he was appointed professor of Italian literature. In this educational institution, Luigi taught until 1922. In 1898, his first play appeared, a small one-act drama "Epilogue". This work was staged in the theater only 12 years later, in 1910, under a different title ("The Bite").

Two important events in my personal life

Following a flood in 1903, Luigi's father's mine wasdestroyed. From now on, teaching and literature became the only means of income for Pirandello. The writer's wife suffered a severe nervous breakdown in 1904. For the next 15 years, she was tormented by persecution mania. The woman threw Pirandello tantrums out of jealousy. In 1919, the writer had to place his wife in a psychiatric clinic.

Artworks from the 1900s

Luigi continued to write and publish his works despite financial and family troubles. Pirandello's third novel, The Late Mattia Pascal, was highly acclaimed. This work, created in 1904, presents the theme of the face and the mask. Pirandello outlined the aesthetic and theoretical views on art in two works created in 1908: in "Science and Art" (a collection of articles) and in the article "Humor", which reveals the difficult tragicomic view of the world of this author.

Plays 1915-21

Until 1915, Pirandello wrote mostly novels and short stories, and after 1915 he devoted his life entirely to dramaturgy. The production of Pirandello's first three-act play "If it's not so …" belongs to this year. Dramaturgy made it possible for the writer to live comfortably, and also to leave teaching after some time. Between 1915 and 1921, Luigi created 16 plays, each of which was staged. The play called "It's so (if you think)" was a particular success with the audience and critics. It was delivered in 1917.

HoweverInternational recognition of the playwright brought another work, which was written in 1921. Pirandello's play Six Characters in Search of an Author. Since 1922 it has been on the stages of New York and London (translated from Italian) with great success. Nevertheless, its Roman premiere ended in scandal, as the audience was offended by the opinion of the characters that goodness and truth are relative. According to most critics, the play "Henry IV" is the pinnacle of Pirandello's work. Its premiere also refers to 1922. The plays listed above are still very popular to this day. They are staged in many theaters around the world. These plays have been translated from Italian into many languages.

Features of Pirandello's creativity

Luigi in his mature writings focuses on the theme of the inconstancy of personality and the illusory nature of human experience. His characters are devoid of any permanent values, their characters and features are blurred. Personality in the world of Pirandello is relative. The writer believed that the truth is what is happening now, at the moment. Luigi tore off the masks from his heroes, freed them from illusions, very meticulously studied their personality and intelligence. The work of Pirandello is marked by the great influence of the theory of the subconscious created by Alfred Binet. Luigi became acquainted with the works of German idealist philosophers while still teaching in Bonn. In addition, the writer was convinced from his own experience of how unstable the human psyche is. Indeed, for 15 years, Pirandello courtedhis mentally ill wife.

Pirandello - director, theater creation

Luigi eventually became known not only as a playwright, but also as a director. He staged his own plays. The writer in 1923 joined the ranks of the fascist party. Mussolini supported his idea of creating a National Artistic Theater in Rome. His troupe in 1925-26. made a tour of the states of Europe, as well as South America (in 1927). Marta Abba, the leading actress of this theatre, became a source of inspiration for Luigi for a long time. However, after some time, despite state subsidies, the theater began to experience significant financial difficulties. His troupe was disbanded in 1928.

Attitude towards fascism

Some researchers believe that Pirandello Luigi behaved with the Nazis as an opportunist, a compromiser. However, it must be said in defense of Luigi that more than once he publicly declared his own apoliticality. Several times Pirandello even criticized the ruling party. Because of this, after the theater closed, he had difficulty staging his plays in Italy.

Last years of life

Pirandello Luigi lived for some time in Berlin and Milan. He traveled a lot. The writer returned to his homeland in 1933, as Mussolini personally asked him to do. Pirandello was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934. Luigi died on December 10, 1936 in Rome. The funeral, according to the last will of the writer, was without a public ceremony. In Sicily, the birthplace of Liugi Pirandello, his ashes were betrayedearth.

Pirandello's popularity

Today, not only Luigi's plays are popular all over the world, but also his novels, short stories and short stories. One of the most famous short stories created by Luigi Pirandello is The Turtle.

And in our country, the work of this writer is quite popular. In one of the recent programs "What? Where? When?" there was even a question related to Luigi Pirandello. "Who destroyed mankind, according to the hero of his work?" - this was the question. The correct answer is Copernicus. After all, thanks to him, humanity learned about its insignificance in the universe. It was Copernicus who taught that the Sun does not revolve around the Earth, but vice versa.

Of course, it is worth getting to know the works created by Luigi Pirandello. His stories, short stories, novels and plays are marked by high artistic value.