Die Letzten Briefe Des Jacopo Ortis by Ugo Foscolo

Niccol Foscolo (Ugo is his pseudonym) was born in Zante in 1778 and completed his early studies at the Spalato Seminary. In 1792, he moves to Venezia, where, despite his family's poverty, he finishes his education, including, in addition to the classics, settecenteschi philosophy. For his revolutionary ideas, Giacobine was forced to flee in 1796 to the Euganei Mountains, where he traced the first Ortis nucleus. He had his first success as a letterato with the tragedy Tieste. In 1797, following the Campoformio Treaty (in which Napoleon cedes Venice to Austria), Foscolo returns to Milano, the capital of the Cisalpina French Republic.

Qui conosce il Monti e il Parini e dirige il Monitore Italiano for una breve periodo. When the penisola is attacked by Austro-Russian troops, he fights valiantly alongside Napoleon; as a result, he obtains a slew of diplomatic injunctions that will allow him to travel throughout Italy. This is a period of rich sentimental and artistic life, during which the Ortis (1802), the Odi, and the Sonetti (1803) are published. From 1804 until 1806 he lives in northern France, on the lookout for Napoleon's orders to invade England.

Here, he translates Yorik dello Sterne's Sentimental Journey, develops Didimo Chierico's character, and meets Sofia Emerytt, from whom he will have a daughter, Floriana. In 1806 he returned to Italy and formed the Sepolcri. The cattedra of eloquence of the University of Pavia is offered to him in 1808 (orazione inaugurale: Dell'origine e dell'ufficio della lettaratura), but the cattedra is soon suppressed. In 1811, following the acrimonious failure of the Aiace, he departs Milan for Firenze, where he spends the years 1812-1813 in the villa of Bellosguardo, where he composes the majority of the Grazie and writes the Ricciarda, the third of his tragedies.

After Napoleon's betrayal, he returns to Milan, this time under the auspices of the Austrians, who make him generose proposals in exchange for his cooperation with the new government and assistance in capturing the lombard sympathies. But, after some hesitation, he decides to leave Italy for good and self-emigrate first to Zurigo and then to London. Compone important saggi critici sulla poesia italiana during gli ultimi anni tra passioni infelici, continui difficoltà economiche. He died in 1827 at the age of 49, and his body was moved to Santa Croce in 1871.