biography
| name: |
Alfieri, Vittorio, conte di (Count)
|
pronunciation:
[alfyayree]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1749–1803)
|
| biography:
| Poet and playwright, a precursor of the Risorgimento, born in Asti, NW Italy. He travelled throughout Europe, then turned his hand to writing, achieving great success with his first play Cleopatra, in 1775. In Florence (1777) he met the Countess of Albany, the estranged wife of Prince Charles Stuart; after separating from her husband, she became his mistress. He wrote more than a score of tragedies, notably Saul, and several other works. In his celebration of the lone hero fighting for freedom, he anticipated Romanticism. |
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