author
Niccolò Tommaseo
1802–1874
A passionate man of letters from Dalmatia, he helped shape 19th-century Italian culture through language, criticism, and political writing. Best known for his dictionaries and essays, he brought a moral seriousness and sharp curiosity to everything he wrote.
2 Audiobooks
Il duca d'Atene
by Niccolò Tommaseo
Il segreto dei fatti palesi seguiti nel 1859
by Niccolò Tommaseo
About the author
Born in Šibenik (then Sebenico, in Dalmatia) on October 9, 1802, Niccolò Tommaseo became one of the most wide-ranging Italian writers of his century: a linguist, journalist, essayist, novelist, and critic. He studied in Split and Padua, then built a literary career that moved through cities including Milan, Venice, Paris, and Florence.
He is especially remembered for his work on the Italian language. His Dizionario dei sinonimi appeared in 1830, and he later helped edit the vast Dizionario della lingua italiana, published in multiple volumes between 1861 and 1874. Alongside lexicography, he wrote fiction and prose works such as Fede e bellezza, showing the same interest in ideas, feeling, and the moral weight of language.
Tommaseo was also deeply involved in the political life of his time. During the upheavals of 1848 in Venice, he took part in the movement against Austrian rule and was imprisoned earlier for his outspoken views. He died in Florence on May 1, 1874, leaving behind a body of work that still stands out for its energy, range, and devotion to the expressive power of words.