author
Giovanni Battista Casti
1724–1803
A sharp-tongued Italian poet and librettist, he turned court life and politics into lively satire. Best known for comic opera texts and verse fables, he wrote with wit, mischief, and a clear eye for human folly.
1 Audiobook
I Tre Giulj o sieno Sonetti di Niceste Abideno sopra l'Importunità di un Creditor di Tre Giulj
by Giovanni Battista Casti
About the author
Born in Acquapendente in the Papal States on August 29, 1724, Giovanni Battista Casti became an Italian poet, satirist, and writer of comic opera librettos. He is often remembered for mixing elegance with mockery, using verse to poke at power, fashion, and the absurdities of public life.
Casti spent time in major European courts and was connected with Vienna, where his literary career flourished. His best-known works include the satirical poem Poema tartaro and Gli animali parlanti (The Talking Animals), a witty animal fable that uses fantasy to comment on politics and society.
He died in Paris on February 5, 1803. Readers coming to Casti today usually find an author who feels surprisingly modern: playful, skeptical, and very alert to the way ambition and vanity shape the world.