D'Annunzio

Gabriele d'Annunzio, Gabriele d'Annunzio, presents his life as a work of art, according to the coincidence of the two spheres supported by early twentieth-century aestheticism. Coming from the wealthy bourgeoisie of Pescara, he first studied at the aristocratic Collegio Cicognini in Prato, and then at the University of Rome, which he abandoned, attracted by the fashionable salons of the capital. In this period, he wrote his first decadent works, moving from a verist and regional imprint, dense with a sensuality that caused scandal, also due to his luxurious existence and numerous love affairs.

Retiring to Abruzzo, he dedicated himself to the novel that would become the manifesto of aestheticism, *Il Piacere*, which brought him numerous accusations of immorality but also great notoriety. However, in the Neapolitan phase that followed, his poetics turned towards more intimate subjects and languid, sentimental tones. Love affairs and economic difficulties continued to color d'Annunzio's public image, but the true turning point in his literary reflection came from reading Nietzsche, whose theory of the Übermensch influenced two novels: *Il trionfo della morte* and *Le vergini delle rocce*.

His meeting with the actress Eleonora Duse, with whom he went to live in a luxurious villa on the Florentine hills, brought him closer to the theatre. The success of some dramatic works, such as *La figlia di Jorio*, then strengthened his belief in the possibility of communicating with the masses, at the origin of his political commitment. In 1897, in fact, d'Annunzio was elected a deputy of the right, then switching three years later to the ranks of the left. After a period in France to escape his debts, he distinguished himself by the fervor with which he supported Italy's intervention in the First World War, to the point of enlisting in the army.

Between 1918 and 1919, he promoted some nationalist claims, such as the occupation of the city of Fiume and the proclamation of an independent state, which, although short-lived, demonstrated his extreme determination. Meanwhile, he continued to work on works that extol the Übermensch and the panicky fusion with the surrounding nature, such as the poems of *Le Laudi* or the lyrical prose of *Il Notturno*, also venturing into cinema with the screenplay for Giovanni Pastrone's *Cabiria*. After the failure of the Fiume enterprise, he retired in isolation to his Lombard villa in Gardone Riviera, the so-called Vittoriale degli Italiani, where he ended his days in 1938.