Corrado Govoni
Corrado Govoni was an Italian poet born in 1884 in Tamara, near Ferrara, into a prosperous family with agricultural roots. His early education was marked by irregular attendance at a Franciscan private school, which he eventually left. In his youth, he moved to Florence, where he presented his first manuscript to the influential writer Giovanni Papini, leading to the publication of his works "Le fiale" in 1903 and "Fuochi d'artifizio" in 1905, establishing him as part of the crepuscolari movement, known for its introspective and twilight-themed poetry. Govoni later embraced Futurism, particularly between 1911 and 1915, producing works like "Poesie elettriche" before transitioning to a post-impressionistic style after World War I, during which he served in the military.
Following the war, he held various literary and administrative positions, notably at the Society for Italian Authors and Publishers. A significant personal tragedy during World War II was the loss of his son, Aladino, who was killed in the Fosse Ardeatine massacre, prompting Govoni to honor him in his collection "Aladino." Throughout his career, Govoni wrote poetry, a novel, and contributed to literary journals, with his style evolving towards surrealism and sensuality in his later years. He passed away in 1965, leaving behind a legacy of widely translated and anthologized poetry.
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Subject Terms
Corrado Govoni
- Born: October 29, 1884
- Birthplace: Tamara, Italy
- Died: October 20, 1965
- Place of death: Lido dei Pini, Rome, Italy
Biography
Corrado Govoni was born in 1884 in Tamara, Italy, in the Po River basin near Ferrara. As the child of a prosperous family—his ancestors had been farmers and millers for generations—he was enrolled in a Franciscan private school in 1895, when he was eleven years old, but his attendance was sporadic and he eventually dropped out. After he left school, he went to Florence, where he met Giovanni Papini in 1903 and showed him his first manuscript. Papini was impressed and saw that Lumachi, his publisher, printed Le fiale (the vials) later that year. Govoni’s Fuochi d’artifizio (1905), also published by Lumachi, identified him as one of the crepuscolari, or the twilight poets.
The second phase of his career, 1911-1915, was as a Futurist poet, and a notable example of his work at this time was Poesie elettriche (electric poetry). In 1914 he sold his family land and moved to Milan, which served as the center of Futurist poetry, but the following year he returned to Ferrara and published L’inaugurazione della primavera (the inauguration of spring), which ushered in his post-impressionistic period. Two years later he was inducted into the military and served throughout World War I. After the war, while he continued to write poetry, he worked at various jobs before moving to Rome, where he took a position at the Società Italiana degli Autori e Editori (S.I.A.E.; the Society for Italian Authors and Publishers). From 1928 to 1943 he served as secretary of the Mayoralty Writers.
His next post was as a record-keeper in a ministerial office, where he worked until his retirement. During World War II, he experienced a traumatic family event, the death of his first-born son, Aladino, who was murdered by the Nazis and buried with other Italians in the Fosse Ardeatine massacre on March 24, 1944. Two years later, Govoni published Aladino, a book of elegies dedicated to his dead son.
Govoni not only wrote several books of poetry but also a novel, Piccolo veleno color di rosa (1921; small poison pink in colour). He also contributed to literary journals such as La Voce and Lacerba. Although the influence of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti persisted in his writing, Govoni’s style continued to evolve throughout his life, and his last works were surreal and sensual. His poems were widely translated and anthologized. He died on October 20, 1965.