THE LIBERTINE LIBRETTIST

by April Fitzlyon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 28, 1956

To the librettist for Don Granann Figar and Co fan Tutte, Mozart was important only as another figure in his memoirs and opera was but an interlude. This fantastic man, Lorenzo da Ponte, was by birth a Jew, ordained as a priest, and his early manhood was spent as a poet whose verse was carefully planned to ingratiate himself with his betters: he was an adventurer and a seducer whose own ""catalogue"" of conquests was worthy of his friend, Casanova. Lorenzo's youth was one of shoddy connivance and sycophancy whether he worked his magic on prostitutes or royalty, in the person of Joseph of Austria. But in his mature years and until his death at 90 the profligate developed into a solid if fiery citizen. Perhaps it was marriage and family responsibilities that changed him but in any event Lorenzo's later callings included publishing, bookdealing, a period of being a grocer and another of accepting a professorship of Italian at Columbia University. With immense energy and erudition he brought to America the language and literature of Italy; he also founded what was probably the first opera house in America. A highly professional biographer (and a well-known translator of Tolstoy and Chekhov) with powers of judgments, restraint and clarity makes her subject and his story an enjoyable surprise for all reading tastes.

Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Abelard Schumen

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION