Giambattista Bazzoni

Giambattista Bazzoni was born in Novara on February 12, 1803, and spent most of his working life in Milan. He studied law at the University of Pavia and went on to build a career as a magistrate, while also becoming known as a writer and patriot.

He was among the early Italian authors to cultivate the historical novel. His best-known work, Il castello di Trezzo (1827), was widely read and went through many editions; later came Falco della Rupe o la guerra di Musso and Zagranella. Contemporary and later reference works describe his fiction as strongly influenced by Walter Scott, but also note his interest in Italian history and patriotic themes.

Bazzoni moved in important Milanese literary circles and was associated with the cultural world around the Maffei salon. He died in Milan on October 9, 1850. No clear portrait image could be confirmed from the sources consulted, so no profile image is included.