Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-19

terial." and several of his novels-'u Fu-
oco,' for eXample-are pointed out as only
slightly embelliShed narratives of personal
experiences. Perhaps his friendship with
the Duchess di Gallese was of this order;
anyhow. II ended in a fashion sufficiently
humiliating for that noblewoman, who was
D'Annunzio's senior by more years than it
would be polite to mention. The duchess
and the poet were intimate for several
years, during which time D'Annunzio did
not fail to notice what promises of beauty
were given by the duchess daughter,
whose acquaintance he had first made
when she was schoolgirl in short skirts.
And evidently the school girl had noticed
the poet, too-perhaps she had read his
verses. At all events only a few weeks
after the young lady had put on long skirts
the duchess one day found herself without
either daughter or friend" and the eigh-
teen-year-old Duchessna di Gallese had
become the Signora D'Annunzio.
Perhaps ID Annunzio is right in asserting
that his girl wife did not "understand''
him. Perhaps she judged masculine conduct
from the viewpoint of the wife and wo-
man. and failed to make allowances for
Ihe Vagaries or the artistic temperament.
be that as 1t may, in an uncommonly short
space of time the poet found himself Obliged
10 live his own life while his wife grad
ually came to go her own way also. OF
the marriage three children were horn Of
whom the eldest boy, Venier Rapagnetto
now gives promise of becoming a master of
the violin. D'AnnunZio is anything but a
family man, and such subjects as childhood
ana motherhooo are not complicated enough
to attract him. The culminatiomewm mtw
TO attract him. The eliminating point came
one night when, according to the story in
general circulation, he gambled his wife
and lost to Prince Sciarra Since that emil
sode the duchessina and D'Annunzjo have
not even attempted to get on
Eleanora Buses experience with Dan
nunzio was not much happier For several
years their names We're coupled together
and meantime the actress persisted in play
ing the poets tragedies to the undoubted
detriment of her artistic reputation and
spent money freely in staging and bringing
them out. In this way it is said she drop-
ped million, to be rewarded by being mt
In a novel, IN Fuoco" Cor 1.-The Flan1e'')
ana having her most intimate thoughts and
acts held up to public gaze. The publica-
ton of this book, however, undoubtedly
hurt D'Annunzio even with his most con-
slant admirers, and it gave rise to a bitter
quarrel with his heroine. The breach how
each was made up after WHILE and Dan
nunzio's Daughter of Jorio" was written
with the understanding that Duse should
have the leading part
But the author, apparently having OBJ
served that women are long suffering where
he is concerned, suddenly discovered that
his former idol was too old for the mart
OF the heroine and gave il to a younger and
IloIc dciFtSS, lmra Grammatical
In doing this, however. he went too far.
Duse has not looked at him since
These and the other gallant" affairs with
which ID Annrnzio's career has been punc-
| tuated though they cannot of course he
defended. can be explained in a way. The
man makes a cult of life Just as Bern
hardt makes one of death, and the greater
| part of his time is spent in seeking new
] sensations. From La Capponcina his mag
niheent home near Florence he wrote To a
| friend recently. Here l labor and live
| undermining heavily the last two words
| His friends declare that disguised he has
played many parts-that, for instance his
! identity hidden under priest soutane he
| often roams about the Roman campagna
| gains entrance to the peasants huts and
! hears about their life from their own Tins
| In the hunting field near Rome he is one Of
| the most reckless of riders. Fond of ease
| and luxury though he Is, he proves tre-
mendous worker when the inspiration Is on
| him. Sometimes. like Balzac he writes
| sea infatuates him, and often he can be
| although he is an out-and-out pagan he
| frequently shuts himself up alone in
| churches at night. For some time he will
1 be seen frequently in society in Rome and
| In Florence. then for long period he will
| court absolute solitude and be seen by
| scarcely any one.
/ And he succeeds in almost everything he
undertakes. To good many folk in Italy
| %, Annunzio's name is anathema, and many
| jeers were uttered when, In 1906 he an-
1 nouncef himself as candidate for the
Italian parliament. In fact, the poet in
vited scorninl comments by declaring that