Anile, Antonino

ANILE, ANTONINO. - Physician, educator and writer, one of the most notable representatives of twentieth-century Catholic scientific literature, b. at Pizzo di Calabria on 20 Nov. 1869, d. at Raiano in 1943. A lecturer in anatomy at the universities, he was several times a deputy of the Partito Popolare and, in the post-war period, Minister of Education in the two Facta Ministries (1922). His work, socially educational, is that of a naturalist and a poet; as a reaction to the legacy of nineteenth-century scientific materialism, he continually emphasizes the necessity of the ascent from nature to God; indeed, one of his most significant works, Bellezza e verità delle cose, may be considered "a poetic-scientific illustration of the five ways of St. Thomas" (D. Mondrone).

Most important works: La salute del pensiero, Bari 1916; Nella scienza e nella vita, Bologna 1920; Poesie, complete collection, ibid. 1921; Vigilie di scienza e di vita, 2nd ed., Bari 1921; Sonetti religiosi, Bologna 1923; La cultura cattolica, Turin 1924; Nuovi sonetti religiosi, Milan 1931; Bellezza e verità delle cose, Florence 1935; Le ore sacre, Florence 1937; L'ombra della montagna, Milan 1939; Questo è l'uomo, Florence 1943.

Giovanni Fallani