Federico De Roberto Explained

Federico De Roberto
Birth Date:16 January 1861
Birth Place:Naples, Italy
Death Place:Catania, Italy
Occupation:Novelist
Movement:Verismo

Federico De Roberto (16 January 1861 – 26 July 1927) was an Italian writer, who became well known for his historical novel Italian: I Viceré (1894), translated as The Viceroys.

Biography

De Roberto was born in Naples and began his writing career as a journalist for national newspapers, where he met Giovanni Verga and Luigi Capuana, the most prominent writers of the Verismo movement. Verga introduced him into the literary circles of Milan. De Roberto authored two books of short stories: Italian: La sorte (1887), Italian: Documenti umani (1888). His first novel, Italian: Ermanno Raeli, (1889) is largely autobiographical; deeper in psychological analysis is the second, Italian: L'illusione (1891). In 1894 his novel Italian: I Viceré was published. It was the result of years of hard work, but obtained little success upon its release. Disillusionment and nervous disorders induced De Roberto to resume journalistic work: he became a writer for the Italian: [[Corriere della Sera]] and the Italian: [[Giornale d'Italia]]. Only later, after some experience as a playwright, he returned to the novel, with Italian: L'Imperio (1908–1913), an unfinished sequel to Italian: I Viceré. He died in Catania at age 66.

I Viceré

The novel consists of three parts and is based upon the story of the fictional Uzeda princes of Francalanza, a noble family of Catania of Spanish origins. This family served as viceroys during the previous Spanish rule. The plot, focusing on the social and political background of the time, follows the private history of the Uzedas during the last year of Bourbon domination in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the first decades of the Kingdom of Italy, portraying the transition from feudalism to a parliamentary system.

De Roberto uses the literary style of verismo (the Italian expression of literary Naturalism) and adopts no privileged point of view (neither the narrator's nor any other's), but instead displays a plurality of voices. Mass scenes are present, as well as the detailed description of various social backgrounds. The primary aim of all members of the Uzeda family is to retain power regardless of the changes that occur, even if this requires actions that the reader will undoubtedly judge to be cynical or even absurd. De Roberto portrays a world undergoing fundamental change, but which seemingly holds no hope for the future: no aspect of society is represented as free from corruption.

The novel was adapted to cinema by director Roberto Faenza in 2007.

Works

Monographs

The Uzeda Family chronicles

Short story collections

Letters

Poetry

Theatrical works

Other writings

References

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=Ep1wxrUgXW4C Rivista enciclopedica contemporanea

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