Emilio Cecchi facts for kids

Emilio Cecchi (born July 14, 1884 – died September 5, 1966) was a famous Italian writer and critic. He wrote about books, art, and movies. People described him as an "official" intellectual, even though he didn't always follow traditional academic rules.

In 1931, he became the artistic director at Cines Studios. This was Italy's top film company. He stayed in this job for a little over a year. Later, in the late 1940s, he also directed two short documentary films.

Biography

Early Life and Learning

Emilio Cecchi was born in Florence, Italy. He was the second of six children. His family lived in the busy city center. His father worked in a hardware store, and his mother was a tailor.

His family was very loving. However, Emilio's childhood had sad moments. His older sister, Annunziata, was sick for many years. She died in 1902 from tuberculosis. His father was very sad about this. Emilio later wrote about how he and his father would go to church. They would kneel together for a long time, dealing with their sadness. Emilio also studied the church's detailed architecture.

Emilio went to middle school and then to a technical school. In 1901, he earned a diploma in accounting. This was a big achievement for someone from a modest background. As a reward, he visited his great-uncle in San Quirico d'Orcia.

When he was twelve, Emilio tried to teach himself how to paint. The beautiful countryside around Siena inspired him to continue his art studies. Back in Florence, he spent a lot of time at the Gabinetto Vieusseux (library). He loved to learn on his own. He discovered works by famous writers like Gabriele D'Annunzio. He also studied art history books.

He met teachers of Giovanni Papini, who gave him advice on what to read. They suggested authors like Charles Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe. These meetings helped him grow as an art scholar. In 1902, he started working at a bank. Then, in 1904, he became a copyist at a city hospital. He spent all his free time studying art. He became known for his knowledge of art from Siena and Florence. He also earned a classics diploma from a famous school in Prato.

Making Connections

Emilio Cecchi's journey from humble beginnings to a respected scholar showed his great talent. It also showed how open and lively Florence was intellectually. In 1903, his brother Guido became sick with tuberculosis and died in 1905. Emilio himself also had periods of serious illness.

Despite these challenges, Emilio made important friends. In 1903, he became friends with the writer Giovanni Papini. He also met the painter Armando Spadini. Cecchi connected with students from the "Florence Institute of Higher Studies." This group included Giuseppe Prezzolini and Ardengo Soffici. With these friends, Emilio Cecchi published his first article. It was called "Il concerto" and appeared in the magazine Leonardo.

Writing for Newspapers

In 1906, Cecchi moved from Florence to Rome. He wrote for several literary magazines there. However, he decided to get another academic qualification. He enrolled at the Literature Faculty in Florence. This gave him more chances to meet people. He became friends with Scipio Slataper and Carlo Michelstaedter.

Even though he didn't finish his degree, he kept writing as a literary critic. He wrote about Italian, Russian, German, and English literature.

Marriage and Family Life

In 1911, Emilio Cecchi married Leonetta Pieraccini. She was an artist. The couple made their home in Rome. They had four children between 1912 and 1918. Sadly, their first child, a son, died when he was a baby.

Emilio Cecchi's grandson, Masolino D'Amico, born in 1939, is also a critic and translator.

Life in Rome

Back in Rome, Emilio wrote a lot for La Tribuna, a daily newspaper. He also wrote for other publications, like the weekly magazine La Voce. However, he often disagreed with the editor of La Voce.

In 1915, Cecchi wrote an article criticizing Giovanni Papini's poetry. This led to a public debate between them in the newspapers. Other writers joined in too. But soon, bigger political events took over.

Even though these debates helped him become more known, Cecchi did other important work. He was friends with scholars like Roberto Longhi. His 1912 essay on Giovanni Pascoli's work is still considered excellent. For the next few years, he focused on English and Irish literature. He translated works by authors like Algernon Charles Swinburne and George Meredith. He also admired Italian poet Dino Campana.

He also wrote for Il Tevere, a Fascist daily newspaper.

During the War Years

In 1914, Italy decided not to join World War I. But other countries wanted Italy to join. In April 1915, Italy secretly agreed to join the war on the British side. Italy declared war on Austria the next month.

On May 10, 1915, Cecchi joined the army. He was sent to the Austrian front. He continued to send reports from the front to Tribuna newspaper. During this time, his book "History of nineteenth century English literature" was published. He would continue to study English literature for many years.

In September 1916, he was moved to a different army unit in Florence. His wife and children also moved back to Florence. His military duties allowed him time for family and reading. He even passed some university exams. In September 1917, he was promoted to captain and sent to the northern front. His letters show he was not happy about this.

In 1918, Cecchi wrote for "L'Astico," a newspaper for soldiers. His wartime letters are a great source for researchers. He kept in touch with many important people, including Benedetto Croce.

After the War

On November 13, 1918, Cecchi arrived in London. He was sent there by Tribuna to be a correspondent. Before this, he saw newspaper work as a distraction from his serious studies. But the chance to travel to London excited him.

In England, he visited writer G. K. Chesterton and later helped introduce Chesterton's work to Italian readers. He also translated some of his texts. He met Hilaire Belloc, whose writings he also translated. Cecchi became a regular correspondent for The Guardian newspaper from Italy between 1919 and 1925.

La Ronda Magazine

In 1919, the Cecchi family moved back to Rome. Emilio was one of seven people who started La Ronda. This was a literary magazine published four times a year until 1923. The war had made many people step back from the wild ideas of modern art. The "wise men" who created La Ronda wanted to return to older literary traditions.

Cecchi contributed an article called "Ritorno all'ordine" (meaning "Return to order"). The main goal of La Ronda was to defend traditional values. Cecchi was also traditional, but he was very scholarly in his articles. He felt that writers should be involved in public life. Over time, the differences between the writers of La Ronda became clear.

However, the magazine allowed Italy's best young writers to explore their own ideas. Cecchi wrote many essays and reviews on English and American authors. He showed a new level of clear and structured writing. He kept learning about new authors and new works by authors he already knew.

Pesci rossi Book

The years 1919 and 1920 were very busy for Cecchi. In 1920, his book "Pesci rossi" (meaning "Goldfishes") was published. Many people see this as his most important book. It was the only one he never changed later. "Pesci rossi" has seventeen beautifully written prose pieces. Most of them had appeared in newspapers or La Ronda before.

The book covers many different topics. It includes public and private events, things he read, people he met, and his own memories. It also has observations about nature. Many believe this book started a new style of writing in Italy between the two World Wars. Cecchi's writing style was simple, powerful, and beautiful. It often showed a clever sense of humor.

The 1920s

The years between the two World Wars were the peak of Cecchi's career as a literary and art critic. His writing style was often discussed. Some people thought writing for newspapers would harm a writer's style. Cecchi proved them wrong with his precise and beautiful writing.

In 1920, he started writing for Valori plastici, a magazine about art. Cecchi was now a critic of both literature and art. From 1921 to 1923, he wrote a weekly column for Tribuna called "Libri nuovi e usati" (meaning "Books new and second-hand"). He used the pen name "Il Tarlo" (meaning "The bookworm"). This column made him widely respected as a cultural and literary expert. From 1923 to 1927, he wrote regularly for La Stampa, a national newspaper. In 1924, he also joined Il Secolo, another national newspaper, as a literary critic.

In 1922, Cecchi reported on Mussolini coming to power. Cecchi's views on the Fascist government were complex. In 1925, he signed Benedetto Croce's Manifesto of the Anti-Fascist Intellectuals. This document was a way to show disagreement with the Fascist government. It was signed after a political event that made many intellectuals rethink their views on Fascism. By 1935, the Fascist government seemed more "normal" to some. In 1940, Cecchi joined the Royal Academy of Italy, which was seen as connected to the government.

In 1927, he joined Corriere della Sera, a major national newspaper. He wrote for them for the next forty years. He also became co-editor of "Vita Artistica" with his friend Roberto Longhi.

Cecchi loved to travel, especially to Great Britain and the Netherlands. In 1930, he went to California for a year to teach at Berkeley. He explored the culture of San Francisco and visited Mexico. He shared his experiences in articles for Corriere della Sera.

The 1930s

In the 1930s, Emilio Cecchi published several "travel literature" books. Many people see these as collections of essays about his travels. One of his most successful books was "Messico" ("Mexico"). It was a collection of essays he wrote for Corriere della Sera during his time in North and Central America. He wrote about his fascination with the ancient Aztec civilization in Mexico.

Another travel book was "America amara" (1939). It included more articles from his year in America and essays from a later visit to the American west coast in 1937-1938.

The 1930s were a very busy time for Cecchi. He wrote a lot for art and cultural magazines. He focused on modern American writers. His book "Scrittori inglesi e americani" ("English and American writers"), published in 1935, collected many of these essays. Later versions of the book included more American writers as he discovered them.

In 1942, Cecchi helped publish "Americana." This was a collection of stories by American writers put together by Elio Vittorini. The book had been stopped by Fascist censors in 1941. Cecchi wrote a new introduction for the book. After a big change in Italian politics in 1943, Cecchi said his actions during the Fascist period were because he loved Italy, not because he supported the Fascist government.

During the 1930s and early 1940s, Cecchi also worked with Giovanni Gentile on the Enciclopedia Italiana. He wrote many entries about art and literature for it.

The 1940s

In May 1940, he joined the Royal Academy of Italy. This showed his skill in promoting Italy's culture. His work on the encyclopedia with Giovanni Gentile might have also played a part.

During World War II, Cecchi and his family lived in Rome. Travel was difficult, but in 1942, he went to Switzerland. He attended the wedding of his daughter, "Suso".

Work in Cinema

In 1932, Ludovico Toeplitz of Cines hired Emilio Cecchi as the artistic director for their new studios in Rome. Cecchi had just returned from a year in California. There, he had learned a lot about Hollywood movies. He had been writing about cinema in his newspaper columns. He saw the potential of this new art form. He praised young Italian directors like Alessandro Blasetti and Mario Camerini.

Hiring a literary figure like Cecchi for a film studio was unusual. It suggested new directions for the company. Cecchi brought in many "writers and artists." He focused on making "arts films" but also kept popular movies in mind. People noticed that the quality of the studio's films improved. Cecchi also oversaw the creation of many early documentaries.

However, Ludovico Toeplitz faced pressure from the government. The government wanted more control over Italy's main film studio. Toeplitz resigned in November 1933. Cecchi left his job at Cines soon after. But he remained interested in cinema. He wrote clear and critical movie reviews for special magazines, especially about American films.

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Cecchi also wrote many screenplays. These were based on recent Italian books. His screenwriting work increased during the early 1940s. This might have been because there was less demand for literary criticism during the war. In 1940 and 1941, he worked on the scripts for Piccolo mondo antico and The Betrothed.

After the War

After World War II, Cecchi quickly reconnected with newspapers. Readers were once again interested in high-quality literary criticism.

After a short time with the magazine Tempo, Cecchi mainly wrote for Corriere della Sera. This newspaper was published in Milan and distributed across Italy. In 1946, he traveled to London. He also started writing for foreign publications again, like La Parisienne and Times Literary Supplement.

In 1947, he was asked to write for L'Europeo. That same year, he became a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, a famous Italian academy.

In the 1960s, Cecchi worked with Natalino Sapegno to create "Storia della letteratura italiana" ("History of Italian Literature"). This was a nine-volume collection published between 1965 and 1969. He wrote many parts of it himself.

Recognition

Emilio Cecchi was often praised for his vast knowledge and detailed studies. People also admired his carefully crafted writing style. In 1952, he received the Feltrinelli Prize for non-fiction literature.

In 1959, the Italian government awarded him the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. This is a very high honor.

Books (selection)

Filmography (selection)

See also

In Spanish: Emilio Cecchi para niños