Luigi Chiarelli
Encyclopedia
Luigi Chiarelli was an Italian
playwright
, theatre critic, and writer of short stories
who is chiefly known as a founder of the teatro grottesco, or Theatre of the Grotesque, after the subtitle of one of his plays.
and attended university, but abandoned his studies to devote himself to journalism and criticism. The first of his plays to be produced in 1912 were Er gendarme ("The Policeman") and Una notte d'amore ("One night of Love"), followed in 1914 by Extra dry and in 1916 by La maschera e il volto
("The Mask and the Face: A Grotesque in Three Acts"), which he had written in 1913, and on which much of his reputation rests. It was praised by Antonio Gramsci
in his magazine Avanti!
(11 April 1917) for the insight it showed into the chasm between one's persona and one's true personality. It was revived in London in 1993.
It was followed by La Scala di seta ("The Silken Ladder", 1917), Chimere ("Chimeras", 1920), La morte degli amanti ("The Lovers' Death", 1921), which was produced simultaneously in London, Fuochi d'artificio ("Fireworks", 1922), the radio play L'anello di Teodosio ("The Ring of Teodosio", 1929) and Un uomo da rifare ("A Man to Remake", 1932), among many others. His plays were produced throughout Europe and in America.
He was a theatre critic for the newspaper Il corriere di Milano from 1923, and the rise of Fascism
in Italy prompted a shift in his expressed opinions from a delight in innovation to a defensive emphasis on the authentically Italian qualities of Novecento drama. A collection of stories, Karakè e altri racconti, was published in 1944.
He died in Rome
in 1947.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, theatre critic, and writer of short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
who is chiefly known as a founder of the teatro grottesco, or Theatre of the Grotesque, after the subtitle of one of his plays.
Life
He was born in 1880 in TraniTrani
Trani is a seaport of Apulia, southern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, in the new Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani , and 40 km by railway West-Northwest of Bari.- History :...
and attended university, but abandoned his studies to devote himself to journalism and criticism. The first of his plays to be produced in 1912 were Er gendarme ("The Policeman") and Una notte d'amore ("One night of Love"), followed in 1914 by Extra dry and in 1916 by La maschera e il volto
La maschera e il volto
La maschera e il volto is a comedy of grotesque genre by Luigi Chiarelli. Written in 1913 and first rapresented in 1916, it is historically significant for starting the contemporary grotesque theatre. It had a great success first in Italy and then Internationally, and continues to be represented....
("The Mask and the Face: A Grotesque in Three Acts"), which he had written in 1913, and on which much of his reputation rests. It was praised by Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci was an Italian writer, politician, political philosopher, and linguist. He was a founding member and onetime leader of the Communist Party of Italy and was imprisoned by Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime...
in his magazine Avanti!
Avanti!
Avanti! is a 1972 American/Italian comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder. The film starred Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L...
(11 April 1917) for the insight it showed into the chasm between one's persona and one's true personality. It was revived in London in 1993.
It was followed by La Scala di seta ("The Silken Ladder", 1917), Chimere ("Chimeras", 1920), La morte degli amanti ("The Lovers' Death", 1921), which was produced simultaneously in London, Fuochi d'artificio ("Fireworks", 1922), the radio play L'anello di Teodosio ("The Ring of Teodosio", 1929) and Un uomo da rifare ("A Man to Remake", 1932), among many others. His plays were produced throughout Europe and in America.
He was a theatre critic for the newspaper Il corriere di Milano from 1923, and the rise of Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in Italy prompted a shift in his expressed opinions from a delight in innovation to a defensive emphasis on the authentically Italian qualities of Novecento drama. A collection of stories, Karakè e altri racconti, was published in 1944.
He died in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1947.