La donna nella vita e nelle opere di Giacomo Leopardi

This study invites listeners into the intimate world surrounding one of Italy’s most celebrated poets, tracing how the women of his family, friendships, and fleeting encounters shaped both his personal life and his lyrical imagination. Drawing on letters, memoirs and contemporary accounts, the author sketches the personalities of mothers, sisters, cousins and admirers—figures such as the austere countess, the gentle garden‑loving Tommasini, the spirited Malvezzi, and the melancholic Paolina—while highlighting the tension between their real selves and the poet’s idealised images of femininity.

Through careful analysis the work reveals how these relationships fed the recurring themes of longing, loss and reverence that run through his verses. It balances factual biography with a thoughtful look at the emotional currents that propelled his poetry, offering a nuanced portrait of a man whose heart was constantly in dialogue with the women who surrounded him. Listeners will come away with a deeper appreciation of how personal affection and poetic ideal intertwined in his enduring legacy.