Manzoni, Alessandro

NOVELIST, POET (ITALY)
BORN 7 Mar 1785, Milano, Lombardia - DIED 22 May 1873, Milano, Lombardia
GRAVE LOCATION Milano, Lombardia: Cimitero Monumentale, Piazzale Cimitero Monumentale (Famedio)

Alessandro Manzoni came from an noble family. In 1792 his parents divorced and his mother entered into a relationship with Carlo Imbonati, living in England and Paris. he was brought up in religious institutes, but after the death of his father in 1807 he joined his mother in Auteuil. There he met several philosophers and befriended Claude Charles Fauriel.

He published his first poems in 1807. In 1808 he married Henriette Blondel, the daughter of a banker from Geneva. It was a happy marriage, although her conversion to Catholicism in 1810 resulted in a religious personal crisis for him. In 1818 his tragedy "Il Conte di Carmagnola" was published. Napoleon's death in 1821 caused him to write "Il Cinque maggio" ("The Fifth of May"). His second tragedy "Adelchi" was published in 1822. His novel "I promessi sposi" ("The Betrothed") was written in 1823, revised, and published in 1827.

His wife died in 1833 and in the mid 1830s he frequented Clara Maffei's salon in Milan. In 1837 he married Teresa Borri, the widow of Count Sampa. Most of his nine children from his two marriages died before him. He had fallen and hit his head on the steps of the San Fedele Church on 6 January 1873. The death of his son Pier Luigi on 28 April 1873 worsened his condition and he died on 22 May 1873. Giuseppe Verdi wrote his "Requiem" in honour of him.

Related persons
• was a friend of Gioberti, Vincenzo
• was painted by Hayez, Francesco
• visited Maffei, Clara

Images

The tomb of Alessandro Manzoni at the Cimitero Monumentale, Milan.
Picture by Androom (26 Jan 2007)

 

Plaque for Alessandro Manzoni in Venice.
Picture by Androom (13 Feb 2016)

 

Sources
Alessandro Manzoni - Wikipedia


Mapleson, James Henry

Published: 25 Dec 2018
Last update: 19 Apr 2022