Foscolo, Ugo (1778-1827), was an Italian author. His Le ultime lettere di Jacopo Ortis (1802, revised in 1817), is sometimes considered the first modern Italian novel. It is the tragic story of a young student’s love for Teresa, a woman whose hand has been promised to another man, Odoardo. The story is told in the form of letters, and shows the influence of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther. Many of Foscolo’s odes and sonnets tell in a lyrical yet classical style about his personal sufferings and disappointments. His best-known poem, The Sepulchers (1806-1807), is an ode that stresses the importance of graves as living reminders of one’s ancestors.
Foscolo was born on Feb. 6. 1778, on the island of Zakinthos in the Ionian Sea. His early poetry is filled with his desire to see Italy unified. In 1815, Foscolo left Italy for England, where he spent the rest of his life teaching Italian and writing essays for periodicals and newspapers. He died on Sept. 10, 1827.
