Carlo Gozzi

Born in Venice on December 13, 1720, Carlo Gozzi was an Italian playwright, poet, and prose writer. He is remembered above all as a champion of commedia dell’arte, the improvisational theater tradition he defended against the newer dramatic styles of his contemporaries, especially Carlo Goldoni and Pietro Chiari.

Gozzi made his name with fantastical stage fables that mixed wit, satire, and theatrical spectacle. Among his best-known works are The Love for Three Oranges and Turandot, plays whose fairy-tale energy went on to inspire later writers, composers, and directors far beyond Italy.

He died in Venice on April 4, 1806, but his influence lasted. His plays helped preserve an older theatrical tradition while showing how imaginative, strange, and playful the stage could be.