Carlo Porta

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For the Italian painter, see Carlo Porta (painter)

Carlo Porta (June 15, 1775 - January 5, 1821) was an Italian poet, the most famous writer in Milanese dialect.

[edit] Biography

He was born in Milan to Giuseppe Porta and Violante Gottieri. He studied in Monza until 1792 and the in the Seminario of Milan. In 1796 the French pushed Porta to find a job in Venice, where one of his brother lived, and where he remained until 1799.

From 1804 until his death Porta worked as clergyman. In 1806 he married to Vincenza Prevosti.

He died in Milan in the January 1821 for a gout attack. He was buried in the church of San Gregorio, but later his tomb went lost.

[edit] Works

Porta began to write poems in the 1790, although few of them were published before 1810. In 1804-1805 he worked at a Milanese translation of the Divine Comedy, whiche he however left unfinished.

In 1810 the Brindisi de Meneghin all'Ostaria ,written for Napoleon's return in Milan, was published. His best season began two years later, with Desgrazzi de Giovannin Bongee ("Troubles of Little John Bongee").

His works can be divided into three categories: works against superstition and religious hypocrisy, descriptions of vivid Milanese popular characters, and political works. The first one includes, amongst the others, Fraa Zenever (1813), On Miracol (1813), Fraa Diodatt (1814), La mia povera nonna la gh'aveva (1810). His political satires were mainly sonets, such as Paracar che scappee de Lombardia (1814), E daj con sto chez-nous, ma sanguanon (1811), Marcanagg i politegh secca ball (1815), Quand vedessev on pubblegh funzionari (1812).

His best works are probably those portraying the Milanese popular life, with the collections Olter desgrazzi de Giovannin Bongee ("Other Troubles of Little John Bongee", 1814), El lament del Marchionn di gamb'avert (1816) and what is generally considered his masterwork, La Ninetta del Verzee (1815).