Manzoni, Alessandro, << mahnd ZAW nee, ah lehs SAHN draw >> (1785-1873), ranks as one of Italy’s greatest novelists on the basis of his only novel, The Betrothed. This work, published in 1827 and again with revisions from 1840 to 1842, set the standard for modern Italian prose. The Betrothed is a long historical story set in Lombardy during the 1600’s, when the province was ruled by Spain. It describes the adventures of two simple young silk weavers, Renzo and Lucia, whose marriage is prevented by a local tyrant, Don Rodrigo. The story is set against the background of larger historical events, including a war, a plague, and a famine.
Manzoni was born on March 7, 1785, in Milan. At the age of 16, he began writing poetry, classical in style and patriotic in inspiration and content. Manzoni was baptized a Roman Catholic, but paid little attention to his faith until 1810. He then underwent a crisis that led him back to Catholicism. That crisis deeply influenced all his works. Manzoni wrote five religious Sacred Hymns (1812-1822) and an ode to Napoleon. In addition, Manzoni wrote two historical plays. He died on May 22, 1873. The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi wrote his Requiem Mass (1874) in memory of Manzoni.
