Giovanni Meli

Giovanni Meli ( born March 6, 1740 in Palermo, † December 20, 1815 ) was an Italian physician, naturalist and poet. He was known primarily for his literary work.

Life

Meli was the son of the goldsmith Antonio and his wife Vincenza Torriquas. Already at the Jesuit school he was enthusiastic about literature and philosophy, especially the writings of the Enlightenment. Among other things, his teachings of Christian Wolff were known. At the same time he read Latin and Italian classics, including Ariosto and Sannazaro. Inspired by Voltaire and Montesquieu, he wrote a first own script, which remained unfinished, however: Il Trionfo della ragione ( The triumph of reason ). From 1759 to 1761 he studied medicine. He practiced from 1767 to 1772 as a village doctor in Cinisi, near Palermo, later in Palermo itself parallel to his work as a doctor wrote Meli a variety of literary works. In 1787 he became a professor of chemistry at the University of Palermo, worked in the episode with other faculties Italy, including that of Siena, together. He served 19 years the chair. Over time Meli won great reputation in the cultured circles of his home. He was a member of the Accademia del Buon Gusto and the Accademia della conversazione Galante. Despite all that Meli was never rich, and after many setbacks he had to beg at the doors of wealthy houses for help. 1810 confessed to him, King Ferdinand III. of Sicily to a pension, but this was canceled back in 1815. Shortly thereafter Meli died in Palermo.

Works

In Melis works are seals, idylls, eclogues, satires and fables, usually marked by bukolischem natural feeling, which he wrote in Sicilian dialect, and in which he described the life of the Sicilian population in a clear language. First he earned fame in 1762 with La fata galanti. This was followed in 1768 Origini dû munnu ( The Origin of the World ), 1785 Don Chisciotti e Sanciu Panza, 1787 Anacreontichi e canzunetti also Buccolica 1787, which earned him the reputation of being a modern Theocritus, and 1810-1814 Favuli murali, a collection of fables by Äsop'schem model. In 1787 he first published his collected works in five volumes. A complete edition of his works in eight volumes appeared in 1830-39 Palermo and reached to 1857 four editions. Selected texts from Melis spring 1856 has translated into German Ferdinand Gregorovius.

Example

As an example of Melis seal like an excerpt from Don Chisciotti e Sanciu Panza (~ 1790) are used, a parody inspired by Cervantes work:

Melis works, reissued

• Giovanni Meli: Don Chisciotti and Sanciu Panza, publishing Canadian Society for Italian ( 1989), English, ISBN 0-9691979-1-8.
• Giovanni Meli: Moral Fables and Other Poems: A Bilingual Anthology, published by Legas, U.S. ( 1995), English, ISBN 1-881901-07-6.

Swell

• Encyclopedia of World Literature, Alfred Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart (1975 ), ISBN 3-520-80702-5.