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ITALIAN LITERATURE—ITALO-TURKISH WAR

port from Austria, gripped ever more tightly at the throat by Italy." Cadorna rightly claims that Italy's " grip on Austria's throat from 1915, compelling her to immobilize against us ever- increasing forces, constituted the most notable result of our war, although it was little apparent to the eyes of civilians. It contributed largely to the victory of the Allied arms and to our final triumph." (W. K. McC.)

ITALIAN LITERATURE (see 14.897). In the decade after 1910 the best Italian writers had given up that exaggerated imitation of D'Annunzio which had prevailed at the opening of the century. Among the poets Giovanni Pascoli, Giovanni Ber- tacchi, Francesco Pastonchi and Ada Negri continued to pro- duce actively. Pascoli was the most prolific, with his Canzonl di Re Enzio, II Paradise, II Carroccio, the Inni to Rome and Turin, and the Poemi italici; Bertacchi published the Canzonieri delle Alpi and A fior di silenzio; Pastonchi // Randagio; and Ada Negri some more lyrics, of which the most remarkable are Dal profondo and // libra di Mara. G. A. Cesareo, best known as a literary critic, published a volume of verse entitled / canli di Pan. Among the younger poets Sem Benelli, chiefly a dramatic author and an active politician, published a fine poem entitled L'altare; Guido Cozzano a volume of lyrics / colloqui; Giovanni Castanzi Luce lontana; and Francesco Gaeta Poesie d'amore. The most prolific of the dialect poets was " Trilussa " (Salustri), who has written a number of clever satirical poems in the Roman dialect. An author of excellent Latin verses who came to the fore was Francesco Sofia Alessio, with his volume Musa latina, which also includes an Italian translation.

Among the novelists D'Annunzio brought out a strange tale in three volumes entitled La Leda senza cigno, and Forse die si, forse che no, a long novel in which aviation plays an important part. Grazia Deledda continued her output of Sardinian stories, all more or less in the same grey pessimistic key La colpa altrui, Marianna Sirca, La madre. Luigi Pirandello, one of the most prolific of Italian novelists, was in 1921 perhaps the best living Italian humorist; the most important of his recent novels are Si gira, Suo marito, I iiccchi e i giovani (a political novel), Ter- zeiti. Dora Melegari, essayist and literary critic, who writes in French as well as in Italian, has published a novel with a back- ground of Risorgimento history, La citta del giglio. Matilde Serao was still active, with her novels Stella mattutina, Addio atnore, Ella non rispose and Preghiera. Cesare Pascarella, the well- known Roman dialect poet, produced a novel, Le memorie d'uno smemorato. Luciano Zuccoli, another very active young writer, published numerous novels, among which may be mentioned La freccia nel fianco, perhaps his best, depicting the development of a boy's soul from early youth to manhood; Farfui, La dimna fanciulla. Giulio Bechi, a regular officer who was killed in the World War, wrote a novel, / seminatori. The Anglo-Italian writer, Annie Vivanti (Mrs. John Chartres), published two novels, I divoratori (about the war) and Naja tripudiam. Alfredo Panzini, a young writer of originality, produced La madonna di Mama, a war novel; Santippe, a half -classical, half- modern novel; and // mondo e rolondo. Another very young writer is Rosso di San Secondo, author of La fuga and La fcsta delle rose. Perhaps the " best seller " in 1921 was Guido da Verona, whose novels, La vita comincia domani, Cold che non si deve amare, Sciogli la treccia Maria Maddalena, etc., combine a good deal of rather cheap philosophy with amorous adventures; his Mimi Bleuette, fiore del mio giardino is written partly in French. Of Virgilio Brocchi's many novels, // labirinlo, Miti, Secondo il cuor mio, II posto nel mondo, may be mentioned, as well as several vojumes of short stories. G. A. Borgese, professor of German literature and well known as a journalist and critic, tried his hand at fiction with Rube, a novel of the post-war period and spirit. Among Mario Mariani's stories, / colloqui colla morte, impressions of the war and life in the trenches, is particularly striking. Francesco Sapori also wrote a war novel, La trincea. Guido Milanesi wrote some good sea stories, such as La wee del fondo, dealing with life on a submarine. Marino Moretti, Raf- faele Calzini and Massimo Bontempelli are all prolific short- story writers, while the last-named is further known for his essays on the Greek classics. Ugo Ojetti, who is more generally known as an art critic, has also written a number of witty and satirical but somewhat bitter short stories.

The Italian stage is still too much under the predominance of foreign and especially of French influence to offer much attraction for first-rate native talent. D'Annunzio has, however, written much for the stage, and during the decade he produced his picturesque Venetian-Byzantine poetical -drama, La nave; Fedra, a classical reconstruction; the mystery play, // mistero di San Sebastiano, originally written in French; and La Pisanclla, a vivid presentment of the mediaeval Levant, also written in French. His // ferro is a drama of modern life with a plot remi- niscent of Hamlet. Sem Benelli, already mentioned as a poet, has achieved considerable success with his historical plays, La maschera di Bruto, II mantellaccio, and, above all, La cena delle bejfe; L'amore del tre re was less successful. Domenico Tumiati has written some plays on the Risorgimento Giovine Italia and // Tessitore, the latter with Cavour for its hero. The novelist Luigi Pirandello is also a dramatic author (Pensaci Ciacomino, II giuoco delle parti, II berretlo a sonagli). Alfredo Testbni, Fausto M. Martini, Dario Niccodemi have all written for the stage with some success. Among the most popular dialect plays should be mentioned those of Salvatore di Giacomo in the Nea- politan vernacular (he has also written a good deal of dialect poetry) and Nino Martoglio in that of Sicily.

The " futurists " continued their strange vagaries, and a small number gave proof of some real literary quality, but they showed signs of ceasing in consequence to be pure futurists and tending to become more normal. This is particularly the case with Marinetti, generally recognized as the leader of the move- ment, who was better appreciated as he became less futurist.

Diego Angeli produced an excellent translation of Shake- speare's plays into Italian verse; while Adolfo de Bosis's tra lations of Shelley and Homer reach a very high level.

The war gave rise to considerable literary but especially jour- nalistic output in Italy. A large number of writers published articles, essays, and books on the various political and economic problems, especially those concerning Italy's rights and aspira- tions. Among the names appearing most frequently in the press and in the booksellers' windows are those of Virginio Gayd author of valuable writings on Austria and Russia; the ecoi omist Prof. Antonio de Viti de Marco; Giuseppe Prezzolin Giovanni Preziosi, the ardent Nationalist and editor of t monthly La vita italiana; Giuseppe Bruccoleri; Attilio Tama: a specialist on Adriatic questions; Umberto Zanotti-Biano the Nationalists Ezio Maria Gray, Francesco Coppola, Can lupo, Leonardo Vitetti, the late Gualtiero Castellini, and t embittered anti-Nationalist historian Gaetano Salvemini.

The most eminent of the purely military writers is undoubted!; Gen. Cadorna, whose important work La guerra alia fronte ital; ana, in spite of its somewhat polemical character, is a valuable contribution to the history of the war, and also a pie of real literature. Gen. Capello's books, Note di guerra a; Per la verita, are also useful, while Col. Angelo Gatti's essa; on various aspects of the war contain admirable criticism.

A curious book which does not come into any of the abo- categories is Giovanni Papini's Vita di Cristo, a paraphrase the Gospels by an erstwhile freethinker turned mystic.

Perhaps the most distinguished living stylist in Italy in 192 was Emilio Bodrero, professor of philosophy at the universit; of Padua and author of numerous literary and aesthetic essa; articles, reviews, as well as of some purely philosophical worl of high scientific value. His literary activities were interrupt by the war, in which he distinguished himself for conspicuo' gallantry in the field, but he subsequently resumed them well as his lectures at the university. (G. B.*)

ITALO-TURKISH WAR, 1911-2. Following upon the cussions which took place between Rome and Constantinop during the summer of 1911, an ultimatum from Italy was d livered to the Porte on Sept. 28, demanding Turkey's conse: to a military occupation of Tripolitana and Cyrenaica. period of 24 hours was set by the ultimatum, and as the Tu