author
Francesco De Sanctis
1817–1883
A towering voice in 19th-century Italian criticism, he helped readers see literature as a living part of national history. His writing joined sharp judgment with deep feeling, and his influence has lasted far beyond his own century.
1 Audiobook
Un viaggio elettorale
by Francesco De Sanctis
About the author
Born in Morra Irpina in 1817, Francesco De Sanctis became one of Italy’s most important literary critics, as well as a teacher, essayist, and public figure. He studied and taught in Naples, and his life was closely tied to the political and cultural upheavals of the Risorgimento.
De Sanctis is best known for bringing warmth, energy, and historical vision to literary criticism. Rather than treating books as museum pieces, he wrote about writers and works as part of the moral and imaginative life of a people. His best-known achievement, History of Italian Literature, became a landmark account of the Italian tradition.
He was also active in politics and served in government after Italian unification, including as minister of public instruction. He died in Naples in 1883, but his reputation endured: he is still remembered as a critic who helped define how modern Italy reads its literature.