Summary
Highlights
Umberto Saba, born in Trieste in 1883, had a challenging childhood after his father abandoned his mother. He was raised first by a Slovenian wet nurse and then by his mother, experiences that deeply influenced his poetry, particularly in 'Il piccolo Berto.' His early life was marked by unfulfilling employment, with poetry serving as his only outlet.
Saba's literary influences included Leopardi and other classic Italian authors, though his mother encouraged reading Parini to counter his melancholic tendencies. He struggled for recognition, with his early works often dismissed. After military service, he married Carolina Wolfler (Lina) and settled in Trieste, opening an antiquarian bookstore. He began publishing under the pseudonym Umberto Saba, honoring his mother's Jewish heritage and his wet nurse.
His most famous work, 'Il Canzoniere,' a collection of his poetry, was first published in 1921. Saba suffered from nervous disorders and underwent psychoanalysis. Due to racial laws, he fled Italy during World War II, finding refuge with friends like Ungaretti and Montale. He published the definitive edition of 'Il Canzoniere' in 1945. His later years were marked by his wife's illness and death, followed by his own a year later.
'Il Canzoniere' is a poetic autobiography, exploring themes of psychoanalysis, truth, domestic life, humanity, love, and childhood, especially the complex relationship with his mother. The figure of a woman, including his wife Lina, his daughter Linuccia, and a colleague Chiaretta, frequently appears in his works, reflecting his multifaceted views on love and female figures.
Saba's 'Il piccolo Berto' addresses the poet's unresolved childhood issues and difficult experiences with love and sexuality, including hints of homosexuality, as seen in his unfinished novel 'Ernesto.' He describes himself as 'dal nascere in due scisso' (split in two from birth), revealing a lifelong struggle to reconcile contradictory aspects of his inner self, mirroring the Freudian concept of the unconscious.
Saba rejected contemporary poetic trends, favoring a familiar, almost colloquial language rooted in tradition rather than experimental forms. He used common words and a clear syntax, maintaining musicality. He was considered an 'anti-Novecentista,' distinct from his contemporaries like Ungaretti and Montale, embracing the risk of banality to express universal truths and everyday experiences.
In 'A mia moglie,' Saba compares his wife to farm animals, celebrating an unconventional, authentic female image. 'La capra' uses the humble goat to explore human suffering and empathy, linking individual pain to a broader historical context, hinting at the plight of the Jewish people. 'Trieste' expresses a deep, complex affection for his hometown, portraying it as a 'scontrosa grazia' (grumpy grace) and a 'ragazzaccio' (naughty boy).
'Ulisse' symbolizes the moral and philosophical restlessness of humanity, contrasting those who seek knowledge beyond limits with those content in their routines. Saba's 'Storia e cronistoria' (1948) is an auto-critical autobiography where he analyzes his own poetry. 'Le scorciatoie' (1958) contains his reflections on culture, politics, and society, showcasing his critical engagement with the world.
His posthumously published unfinished novel 'Ernesto' (1975) follows a young man grappling with abandonment and instability. It controversially explores an adolescent's homosexual relationship, depicting it with both naturalness and guilt, before a break and a relationship with a prostitute, reflecting themes of complex human relationships and unresolved emotional struggles pertinent to Saba's own life.