1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Parini, Giuseppe

PARINI, GIUSEPPE (1729–1709), Italian poet, was born at Bosio in the Milanese, on the 22nd of May 1729. His parents, who possessed a small farm on the shore of Lake Pusiano, sent him to Milan, where he studied under the Barnabites in the Academy Arcimboldi, maintaining himself latterly by copying manuscripts. In 1752 he published at Lugano, under the pseudonym of Ripano Eupilino, a small volume of sciolto verse which secured his election to the Accademia dei Trasformati at Milan and to that of the Arcadi at Rome. His poem, Il Mattino, which was published in 1763, and which marked a distinct advance in Italian blank verse, consisted of ironical instructions to a young nobleman as to the best method of spending his mornings. It at once established Parini’s popularity and influence, and two years later a continuation of the same theme was published under the title of Il Mezzogiorno. The Austrian plenipotentiary, Count Firmian, interested himself in procuring the poet’s advancement, appointing him, in the first place, editor of the Milan Gazette, and in 1769, in despite of the Jesuits, to a specially created chair of belles lettres in the Palatine School. On the French occupation of Milan he was appointed magistrate by Napoleon and Saliceti, but almost immediately retired to resume his literary work and to complete Il Vespro and La Notte (published after his death), which with the two other poems already mentioned compose what is collectively entitled Il Giorno. Among his other poems his rather artificial Odi, composed between 1757 and 1795, have appeared in various editions. He died on the 15th of August 1799.

His works, edited by Reina, were published in 6 vols. 8vo (Milan, 1801–1804); and an excellent critical edition by G. Mazzoni appeared at Florence in 1897.