A Journey through Italian Poetry: Happy National Poetry Day!

Italian poetry has shaped and influenced the poetic traditions of many European languages, including English. From Dante Alighieri to Virgil, Roman poets would take their subject matter and style of their poetry from its Ancient Greek forms. Italian poetry has been traced back to the 13th century and it's no surprise that some of the most enchanting and awe-inspiring pieces of literature and poetry have been written by Italians. 

We’re highlighting some of the best Italian poets of all time!

Dante Alighieri

It’s impossible to discuss Italian poetry without speaking of the Father of Italian Language, Dante Alighieri. Born in Florence, he was a supreme poet, writer and philosopher and famously known for challenging the church with his enduring publication, “La Divina Commedia”. The Divine Comedy has been translated over 400 times and in 52 different languages and Dante was instrumental in establishing the literature of Italy.

Virgil 

Virgil is considered one of Romes’ greatest poets. He wrote three of the most famous poems in Latin literature - the Eclogues (or Bucolics), the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid. His influence as a poet was so profound that he inspired Dante to become a poet. Dante was so in love with Virgil’s work that Virgil earned himself a spot as a character in “La Divina Commedia.”

Umberto Saba

Born in Trieste as Umberto Poli, his pen name of Umberto Saba was assumed in 1910 once he published his first book of poems. He chose the name Umberto Saba to honor his Jewish heritage. His poems are known for being simple, lyrical and autobiographical poems influenced by Petrarch, Giosuè Carducci, Giacomo Leopardi, and Gabriele D’Annunzio. Some of his most famous poems are “Trieste,” “Ulisse” (Ulysses), and “La Capra” (The Goat).

Guisseppe Ungaretti

Guisseppe Ungaretti was born in Egypt to a Tuscan family from Lucca and quickly became one of the most prominent Italian poets of the 20th century. His first poem, L’allegria, was written while fighting in World War I. Ungaretti revised the ideas of how to write poems without punctuation marks. He would connect his writing to the atrocities he saw during the war. Many of his poems became songs and American composer Harry Partch turned 2 of his poems into songs. French-Romanian composer Horațiu Rădulescu turned 11 poems into songs for his cycle, “End of Kronos.” 

Eugenio Montale

Eugenio Montale was a Genovese writer who was  initially trained as an opera singer. World War I changed the course of his life after his vocal coach was killed. After his opera chapter ended, he turned to poetry. Montale joined the ranks of Italian poets with Ungaretti and Salvatore Quasimodo. In 1975, Montale received the Nobel Prize for being “one of the most important poets of the contemporary West.”