author
Pietro Cossa
1830–1881
A major Italian dramatist of the 19th century, he turned Roman history into vivid verse tragedies that helped win him a wide audience. His breakthrough came with Nero, followed by popular plays such as Messalina, Julian the Apostate, and Cleopatra.
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About the author
Born in Rome on January 25, 1830, Pietro Cossa grew up with a rebellious streak. Sources agree that he was expelled from a Jesuit school and that, after fighting for the Roman Republic in 1849, he spent time in South America before returning to Italy.
His early work struggled to find success, but that changed when Nero was staged in 1871. The play established him as an important Italian dramatist, and later works including Messalina, Julian the Apostate, and especially Cleopatra strengthened his reputation for dramatic verse built around powerful figures from classical history.
Cossa also wrote lyric poetry, and his work was collected after his death in Teatro poetico. He died in Livorno on August 31, 1881, but he remains remembered for bringing energy and theatrical force to historical drama in Italian literature.