Augusto Novelli (17 January 1867 – 7 November 1927), also known as Novellino, was an Italian Florentine satirical journalist, dramatist, and novelist. Aa a prolific playwright who completed more than fifty dramatic pieces, many of which are in the Tuscan (Florentine) dialect, Novelli is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the modern Florentine

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

(dialect) theatre.

Biography

Well known for his lifelong association with the city of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Augusto Novelli was born there on 17 January 1867. Largely self-educated, Novelli succeeded in becoming an erudite intellectual despite a minimal formal education that ended only after three years of primary school.Bencistà, Alessandro (2008).
"La commedia in vernacolo fiorentino dall'abate Zannoni a Giovanni Nannini".
Retrieved 24 July 2010. Fascinated by the creative world of the Italian theatre from an early age, Novelli managed to complete the

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

''Una sfida ai bagni'' (''A Challenge to the Baths'') as a teenager and wrote early plays such as ''La capanna del veterano'' (''The Veteran's Cabin'') and ''La Società dei senza testa'' (''Society of the Headless'') in the 1880s. After founding the satirical magazine ''Il vero Monello'' (''The True Rogue'') and becoming its

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's Editing, editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is hel ...

in 1888, he soon focused his attention on Florentine drama, which began to appear in Novelli's journal in the Florentine vernacular form in 1892.Haller, Hermann W. (1999). ''The Other Italy: The Literary Canon in Dialect''. Toronto:

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...

. p. 196. .Carlson, Matvin (1981). ''The Italian Stage from Goldoni to D'Annunzio''. Jefferson, N.C. and London:

McFarland & Company McFarland & Company, Inc., is an American independent book publisher based in Jefferson, North Carolina, that specializes in academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tert ...

. p. 174. . As a politically active member of the

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

from the beginning of his career, Novelli was around the establishment as a young man. In the 1890s, he was given a fifteen-month prison term as punishment for his adherence to the

socialist movement The history of socialism has its origins in the Age of Enlightenment and the 1789 French Revolution, along with the changes that brought, although it has precedents in earlier movements and ideas. ''The Communist Manifesto'' was written by Karl ...

during a period of fierce political

conservatism Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, Convention (norm), customs, and Value (ethics and social science ...

.MacClintock, Lander (1951). ''The Age of Pirandello''. Bloomington:

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes ...

. p. 113."La Libreria Chiari riscopre le commedie vernacolari di Augusto Novelli"
(15 February 2000). ''Nove da Firenze''. Retrieved 11 July 2010. Despite this political martyrdom, Novelli would later be expelled by the

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a Social democracy, social democratic and Democratic socialism, democratic socialist political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parti ...

's radical elements for being too

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

, or impermissibly moderate. "Il vernacolo di Augusto Novelli"
(2003). ''Insieme a Carmignano''. Associazione Turistica Pro Loco di Carmignano. Retrieved 24 July 2010. Novelli's ''Il morticino'' (''The Dead Child''), a play written during his prison term, premiered in 1893 while the dramatist was still carrying on his work from behind bars.
Centre Culturel International Marco Polo. Retrieved 11 July 2010. The subsequent year witnessed the debut of Novelli's ''Purgatorio, Inferno, Paradiso'' (''Purgatory, Inferno, Paradise''). In

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

, the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

freethinker Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and should instead be reached by other meth ...

Samuel Porter Putnam Samuel Porter Putnam (July 23, 1838 - December 11, 1896) was an American freethinker, critic and publicist. Biography Putnam was born in Chichester, New Hampshire. His father was a minister of a Congregational church. He graduated from Dartm ...

observed that "Novelli. . . was cheered when

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...

on the charges of irreverence and

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

."Putnam, Samuel P. (1894).
400 Years of Freethought.
' New York: The Truth Seeker Company
p. 643.
/ref> The play regarded as Novelli's most notable theatrical work, ''L'acqua cheta'' (''Still Water''), first opened at Florence's Teatro Alfieri on 28 January 1908. Though since hailed as a classic masterpiece of Florentine comedyeven described as the beginning of the modern Florentine vernacular theaterthe work opened to mixed critical reviews that were largely negative, at first receiving a positive review from only one critic, Mario Ferrigni. It nonetheless enjoyed an overwhelming popular success among theater-goers. The play was later turned into an

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

after receiving a musical score from composer

Giuseppe Pietri Giuseppe Pietri (Sant'Ilario, ''frazione'' of Marina di Campo, ''comune'' of Campo nell'Elba, 6 May 1886 – Milan, 11 August 1946) was an Italian composer, known primarily for his work in operetta. Excerpts from one of his works, the opera '' ...

. The Novelli-Pietro operetta premiered on 27 November 1920 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The numerous other productions born out of Novelli's fruitful association with the Alfieri, included the premieres of ''Acqua passata'' (''Water Under the Bridge'') in 1908; ''Casa mia'' (''My House''), ''L'ascensione'' (''The Ascension''), and ''L'Ave Maria'' (''Ave Maria'') in 1909; ''Gallina vecchia'' (''The Old Hen'') in 1911; ''La Cupola'' (''The Cupola'') in 1913; and ''Canapone'' in 1914. Aside from his two decades with ''Il vero Monello'', Novelli's contributions to periodicals included material for ''Firenze a zig-zag'' in 1912 and ''La Kultureide'' in 1916. Novelli's other efforts outside of drama included the 1902 ''Lotte sociali'' (''Social Struggles''), an original translation of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

's notes regarding his participation in attempts to effect social and political change in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and ''Firenze presa sul serio'' (''Florence Taken Seriously''), a novel first published for the Florentine readers in 1902. Novelli's novel ultimately reappeared in a 1908 edition illustrated by Gustavo Rosso and prefaced by author and politician Otello Masini. Among Novelli's collaborators in the theatrical world was the influential actor-manager Andrea Niccoli (1862–1917), remembered as an instrumental promoter of Novelli's ''L'acqua cheta'' and other plays. Noccioli, Guido, and Giovanni Pontiero (Ed.) (1982). ''Duse on Tour: Guido Noccioli's Diaries, 1906-1907''. Amherst:

University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The press was founded in 1963, publishing scholarly books and non-fiction. The press imprint is overseen by an interdisciplinar ...

. p. 163. . Novelli died on 7 November 1927 in

Carmignano Carmignano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Prato, part of the Italian region Tuscany. It is located about west of Florence and about southwest of Prato. It is the centre of the wine region of the same name. It has 14,577 ...

. He was aged sixty years at the time, five years after

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

takeover of the country. He spent his final years in seclusion from public life in the Tuscan community about 20 km west of Florence where a commemorative bust, installed in the municipal chamber, now honours him.

References

External links

Electronic version of ''Lotte sociali'' (1902)
ovelli's Italian translation of Victor Hugo in

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format from the Manuzio Project / Liber Liber {{DEFAULTSORT:Novelli, Augusto 1867 births 1927 deaths 19th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Italian journalists 19th-century Italian male writers 19th-century Italian novelists 19th-century Italian translators 20th-century Italian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Italian journalists 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian novelists 20th-century Italian translators Comedy writers French–Italian translators Italian magazine editors Italian magazine founders Italian male dramatists and playwrights Italian male journalists Italian male novelists Italian prisoners and detainees Italian satirists Italian socialists Journalists from Florence People charged with blasphemy