Camillo Federici
Encyclopedia
Camillo Federici was an Italian
dramatist and actor
.
He was born at Garessio
, a small town in Piedmont
. His real name was Giovanni Battista Viassolo; he took his pen-name from the title of one of his first pieces, Camillo e Federico. He was educated at Turin
, and showed an early fondness for literature, especially for the theatre. The praise he received for his early attempts made him persevere this choice of career, and he obtained engagements with several companies both as writer and actor.
He made a happy marriage in 1777, and soon afterwards left the stage and devoted himself entirely to writing. He settled at Padua
, and the reputation of his numerous comedies rapidly spread in Italy, for a time eclipsing that of his predecessors. Most of his plays were melodrama
s, and his work became repetitive, but he caught something of the new spirit appearing in German dramatic literature, in the works of Schiller
, Iffland
and Kotzebue
. When his financial success came to an end, he found a helpful friend in a wealthy merchant of Padua, Francis Barisan, for whose private theatre he wrote many pieces.
In 1791 he became dangerously ill and was unable to work for several years. His works, in the absence of any copyright law, were published by others without his permission. In 1802, he undertook to prepare a collected edition; but of this four volumes only were completed when he was again taken ill, and died at Padua.
The publication of his works was completed in 14 volumes in 1816. Another edition in 26 volumes was published at Florence in 1826 1827. A biographical memoir of Federici by Neymar appeared at Venice in 1838.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
dramatist and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
He was born at Garessio
Garessio
Garessio is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km south of Turin and about 40 km southeast of Cuneo.The Reggia di Valcasotto is located in the communal territory.- Notable people:...
, a small town in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
. His real name was Giovanni Battista Viassolo; he took his pen-name from the title of one of his first pieces, Camillo e Federico. He was educated at Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, and showed an early fondness for literature, especially for the theatre. The praise he received for his early attempts made him persevere this choice of career, and he obtained engagements with several companies both as writer and actor.
He made a happy marriage in 1777, and soon afterwards left the stage and devoted himself entirely to writing. He settled at Padua
Padua
Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...
, and the reputation of his numerous comedies rapidly spread in Italy, for a time eclipsing that of his predecessors. Most of his plays were melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
s, and his work became repetitive, but he caught something of the new spirit appearing in German dramatic literature, in the works of Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, Iffland
August Wilhelm Iffland
August Wilhelm Iffland was a German actor and dramatic author. His father intended him to be a clergyman, but Iffland preferred the stage, and at eighteen ran away to Gotha in order to prepare himself for a theatrical career.He was fortunate enough to receive instruction from Hans Ekhof, and made...
and Kotzebue
August von Kotzebue
August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue was a German dramatist.One of Kotzebue's books was burned during the Wartburg festival in 1817. He was murdered in 1819 by Karl Ludwig Sand, a militant member of the Burschenschaften...
. When his financial success came to an end, he found a helpful friend in a wealthy merchant of Padua, Francis Barisan, for whose private theatre he wrote many pieces.
In 1791 he became dangerously ill and was unable to work for several years. His works, in the absence of any copyright law, were published by others without his permission. In 1802, he undertook to prepare a collected edition; but of this four volumes only were completed when he was again taken ill, and died at Padua.
The publication of his works was completed in 14 volumes in 1816. Another edition in 26 volumes was published at Florence in 1826 1827. A biographical memoir of Federici by Neymar appeared at Venice in 1838.