Umberto Saba was a Jewish-Italian poet and novelist best known for Il Canzoniere [Songbook] (in multiple versions and editions), a collection of his poetic production between 1900 and 1954, and Storia e cronistoria del Canzoniere [History and Chronicle of the Songbook] (1948), an exegetical exploration of his own poetry. He also wrote aphorisms and short stories collected in Scorciatoie e raccontini [Shortcuts and Little Tales] (1946) and Ricordi-racconti [Memories-Tales] (1956), as well as an unfinished homoerotic novel, Ernesto, published posthumously in 1975. Saba is particularly remembered for his lyrical and prosaic style that relies on direct and accessible language.
Saba was born Umberto Poli on 9 March 1883 in Trieste, which at the time was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. His
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Citation: Frascà, Paolo. "Umberto Saba". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 June 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14146, accessed 04 December 2023.]
