Carlo Betocchi (23 January 1899 – 25 May 1986) was an Italian writer from Turin. Among the hermetic poets, he is considered a moral guide. However, unlike them, he based his poems on direct language,

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

and moral tension. Betocchi has been compared to

Giovanni Pascoli Giovanni Placido Agostino Pascoli (; 31 December 1855 – 6 April 1912) was an Italian poet, classical scholar and an emblematic figure of Italian literature in the late nineteenth century. Alongside Gabriele D'Annunzio, he was one of the grea ...

Umberto Saba Umberto Saba (9 March 1883 – 25 August 1957) was an Italian poet and novelist, born Umberto Poli in the cosmopolitan Mediterranean port of Trieste when it was the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Poli assumed the pen name "S ...

, the crepusculars, and

Clemente Rebora Clemente Rebora (6 January 1885 – 1 November 1957) was a poet from Milan, Italy. He received a degree in Italian literature in Milan. In the early 1900s he worked for the magazines '' La Voce'', ''Rivista d’Italia'' and ''La Riviera Ligure''. ...

. However, his path was original among twentieth century poets.

Biography

Carlo Betocchi was born in Turin on 23 January 1899. He moved to Florence in 1906 with his father, an employee of the

Ferrovie dello Stato Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane S.p.A. (; ; previously only Ferrovie dello Stato, hence the initialism FS) is Italy's national state-owned enterprise, state-owned railway holding company that manages transport, infrastructure, real estate service ...

. After the death of his father in 1911, Betocchi and his brothers, Giuseppe and Anna, were educated by his mother, who focused especially on his spiritual education. He studied at the Florentine Technical Institute with his friend

Piero Bargellini Piero Francesco Bargellini (5 August 1897 – 28 February 1980) was an Italian politician, writer and journalist, who served as mayor of Florence (1968–1969), Senator (1968–1972) and Deputy (1972–1976). Biography In 1929 Bargellini founde ...

. Having obtained his diploma as a

land surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. These points are usually on the ...

in 1915, he attended the officers' school in

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

, but the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

loomed. Between 1917 and 1918, he was sent to the front and took part in the first resistance on the Piave. In 1919, he volunteered in Libya, where he remained for a year. Betocchi, in possession of his diploma, began to practice the profession of surveyor in the construction field. His work took him to France and various locations in central-northern Italy, having returned permanently to Florence in 1923 with Piero Bargellini, Nicola Lisi and the engraver Pietro Parigi. He collaborated on the magazine ''Calendar of solar thoughts and practices''. In 1928, together with Bargellini, he founded the magazine ''Frontespizio'' and participated until 1938 in the development of the Catholic-inspired magazine. In 1934, he published his first poetic collection ''Reality conquers the dream'' (1932) in the magazine's column ''The most beautiful poetry''. In 1939, Betocchi left Florence and moved to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

where he was assigned the chair of literary subjects at the musical conservatory of Venice. He returned definitively to Florence in 1953 and taught with the same duties as he did at the Conservatory. He was an editor for the magazine ''L'Approdo letterario'' until December 1977 when the magazine closed down. In 1958, he was entrusted with the editorial office of the radio broadcast ''L'Approdo''. Since 1932, there have been numerous poetic collections by Carlo Betocchi, including ''Realtà vince il sogno'' and ''Estate di San Martino'' in 1961, ''Uno passo, un altro passo'' in 1967, ''Prime e ultimissime'' in 1974, and ''Poesie del Sabato'' in 1980. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Betocchi published ''News of prose and poetry'' (1947''), A bridge over the plain'' (1953), and ''Poems'' (1955). He has a daughter named Silvia Betocchi. Carlo Betocchi died in

Bordighera Bordighera (; , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, the French coast is visible from the town. Having the Capo Sant'Ampel ...

, Imperia, on 25 May 1986. ''Dal definitivo istante'' was released posthumously in 1999. He is buried in the Florentine cemetery of Trespiano.

References

Short biography
* 1899 births 1986 deaths Writers from Turin 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian poets {{Italy-poet-stub