Antonio Fogazzaro’s Diario di viaggio in Svizzera

Abstract

Antonio Fogazzaro (1842-1911), known above all for his novels on naturalism, decadentism and spiritualism, such as Piccolo Mondo Antico, Piccolo Mondo Moderno and Il Santo, began his literary career in 1873 with the narrative poem Miranda. However, his first literary attempt is the Diario di viaggio in Svizzera, which remained unpublished until 2006. In relation to this work, in the line of the excellent edition of Fabio Finotti, this article studies the links with the tradition of the travel journal of the 18th and 19th centuries, with the milanese scapigliatura, and the anticipation of several passages of Fogazzaro’s works written in the years 1873-1895, such as Miranda, Malombra and Piccolo Mondo Antico.