David Levi

Davide Levi (1816 in Chieri – 18 October 1898 in Venice) was an Italian poet, patriot and politician.

Biography

Educated at the Jewish schools of his native town and Vercelli, he for a short time followed a mercantile career. In 1835 he went to the University of Parma, and later to that of Pisa, but he had to leave the latter on account of a duel in which he wounded a fellow student whom he had challenged for having made an insulting remark about the Jews. Having passed his examination as doctor of law, he went in 1839 to Paris. The university ideals of a united, free Italy had found a strong follower in Levi, who had become a member of the irredentist society La Giovane Italia. In Paris he belonged to the circle of Italian patriots; and, on returning to Italy, he soon became one of the leaders in the political movement for the secession of northern Italy from the Austrian Empire and for the union of all the Italian states.

Settling in Venice, Levi took part in the Lombardic rebellion against Austria of 1848-49. In 1850 he moved to Turin. After the Franco-Italian-Austrian War of 1859, when the Italian provinces of Austria were united with the Kingdom of Italy (1860), he was elected to the Italian assembly at Florence, where, as a member of the Liberal Party, he championed the cause of equality of rights and religious freedom. He was a member of the National Assembly until 1879, when, being defeated, he retired from politics.

Levi wrote many poems, especially during his stay at Venice, and a large number of political and war songs, among these the well-known ode to Pope Pius IX, who in 1846, upon his election to the papal chair, was hailed as liberator, but who in 1849 changed his political views and became strongly reactionary. Through all Levi's works his great love for Italy and for Judaism is evident.