Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-04
Fame's Mixed Rewards
For Young Italian Author
Snecisl Correspondence of The Star.


FLORENCE, July "a, 1907.
-uAT Signor Fogazzaro is a great au-
thor Is we'll known. That he is also
/ on uncommonly kind-hearted and
generous man is shown by his treatment Oh
the new Italian writer, young Ego LOCO
vico Morichini, who gives promise OF prov
inc b,s most serious rival. Mor1chin1
novel "Senl Su Petre," which appeared IN
anru caused a great sensation because oi
tic accurate portra .ture of certain set IN
pom.n society called THE Blacks.
The author belongs to the politicai-reh-
pious c,;1b OF Blacks known as the 'Cir-
colo San Pietro," and the members at once
demanded his expulsion and required the
nresident 10 hold meeting OF accusatoh
When Morichini appeared he louno MN
self surrounded by the members, each Vi
whom held in his hand copy OF SEM ou
Pietre" his finger or booknnark lhuicat-
ing the page which he particularly resented
One declared the opinions heretlcai, announcer
denounced the author for p'cturing ms
mother. a third had recognized too faith
full picture of himself. Thick ana iasl
rained down the accusations and iercer
grew the anger
The author volunteered to resign from tle
club but declined to retract his opinions
He was Just departing when young man
who had entirely misread a certain SEN
tence sprang on young Morich1ni ana dealt
him violent blow on the head.
The following day the AFFAIR, or course
was noticed in the papers ana. as atiGA ~
Morichini from FosaZzaro, assuring him
that he had written q book OF great prom
Use and one which should have brought
him a better reward than whack on the
head. Fogazzaro added that he would see
Morichini later in Rome.
-
Early in July he appeared, and. to his
surprise, found that the author of Semi
Su Pitere," book of deep thought and
face much like George Eliot who confessed
that at fourteen he began to think upon
and discuss philosophical subjects. Semi
Su Pietre' was written when he was
twenty and published, as he says, ION the
day ! became man..
Fogazzaro praised Semi Su Pietre" and
assured Morichini that while the theme was
similar to his own in III Santo," as it was
written before the publication of that ia
nous volume. there could be no question OF
it's entire originality: Fogazzaro spent some
time IN talk with his new rival and even
discussed literary affairs of his own with
him. "Semi 81 Pietre" is now in its sec
ond edition. and, curiously enough, while
written by BLACK" has had some Of its
best notices from liberal papers.
The young author defends 1t on the
ground that literary work, to be Of any last
ing value. must depict life as it is. The de-
feet of modern Italian literature, he says,
is that it's characters are creations OF the
ina gination, and lack the flesh and blood
vitality of reality. The whack he received
on the head would go to snow that he has
succeeded in copying nature well enough.
at any rate. to be recognized. One Of the
chief characters in the book. Don Fabrizio.
a priest who endeavors to sow the seed
which gives the book its name. is the por-
trait of a certain ecclesastic in Rome, of
visionary ideas. who endeavored. as de-
scribed in the book, to reform the church
through group of young men. For time
he had considerable influence, but being Of
fered an official position for the purpose of
silencing him. ne accepted the bride and
vanished from the ranks of the reformers.
Fogazzaro has in mind a new volume, one
which is to avoid all polemics. In conse-
ouence II will be entirely different in theme
from I'll SantO.