Luigi Chiarelli (7 July 1880 – 20 December 1947) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, theatre critic, and writer of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

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 Trani 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 Antonio Francesco Gramsci ( , , ; 22 January 1891 – 27 April 1937) was an Italian Marxist philosopher, journalist, linguist, writer, and politician. He wrote on philosophy, political theory, sociology, history, and linguistics. He was a fo ...

in his magazine ''

Avanti! ''Avanti!'' is a 1972 American/Italian international co-production comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond is based on Samuel A. Taylor's play, ...

'' (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 Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

''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 is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...

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 , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1947.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Knight of San Marco ''The Knight of San Marco'' (Italian: ''Il cavaliere di San Marco'') is a 1939 Italian historical drama film directed by Gennaro Righelli and starring Mario Ferrari, Dria Paola and Laura Nucci.Zanotto p.73 It is set during the Risorgimento. It w ...

'' (1939) * ''

Luisa Sanfelice Luisa or Luigia Sanfelice (1764–1800) was an Italian aristocrat who was executed by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies because of her involvement with the French-backed Parthenopean Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars, although Sanfelice ...

'' (1942)

External links

*
List of his plays
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiarelli, Luigi Italian dramatists and playwrights Grotesque Italian male short story writers Italian literary critics Italian male journalists 1880 births 1947 deaths People from Trani Italian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian short story writers 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian journalists