Paolo Ferrari

Paolo Ferrari (1822–1889), Italian dramatist, was born at Modena. His numerous works, chiefly comedies, and all marked by a fresh and piquant style, are the finest product of the modern Italian drama. After producing some minor pieces, in 1852 he made his reputation as a playwright with Goldoni e le sue Sedici Commedie. Among numerous later plays his comedy Parini e la Satira (1857) had considerable success. Ferrari may be regarded as a follower of Carlo Goldoni, modelling himself on the French theatrical methods. in 1860 he was appointed professor of history at Modena and afterwards at Milan. His collected plays were published in 1877–1880 in 14 volumes.

Biography

The son of an officer, he graduated from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia with a law degree. Of liberal ideas, he soon began both his activities as a patriot and Conspiracy and his career as a playwright, in which he achieved considerable success with brilliant comedies in the Goldonian style, including Goldoni and his sixteen new comedies (1851), judged by Luigi Capuana to be “the finest comedy written in Italian in the first half of the running century,” La satira e Parini (1853) and, in Modenese dialect, La medseina d'onna ragaza amalèda (1859), later translated and performed in Italian as well. La medseina d'onna ragaza amalèda (1859), later also translated and performed in Italian. From Modena, where he was secretary of the University and professor of history in the city high school, he moved in 1861 to the Scientific-Literary Academy of Milan, where he was professor of Modern History and then of Literature and Aesthetics, also holding the position of dean between 1875 and 1877.