Carrer, Luigi Arminio

CARRER, LUIGI ARMINIO. - Born in Venice on 12 February 1801; in his youthful years he improvised tragedies in the manner of Sgricci; he then devoted himself to philological studies; he was assistant to the chair of philosophy at the University of Padua until 1883; he then turned to journalism and directed Il Gondoliere, a periodical that met with the public's favor and continued to appear until 1847; in 1845 he was appointed vice-secretary of the Venetian Institute and in 1846 director of the Correr Institute; d. in Venice on 23 December 1850.

These manifold activities did not hinder his poetic production: his first attempt at poetry dates back to 1819; it was followed by the poem entitled Il Clotaldo (Venice 1826), the Poesie (Padua 1831-32) and the Ballate, a collection of songs mostly narrative, of a romantic flavor, published in a first edition in 1834 and then reprinted in 1837 with the addition of other romances. Of the Idilli, those on biblical subjects are remembered: I primi esuli, L'arcobaleno, Agar, Abigaille, Le stagioni cristiane... See also in the Poesie, a program of romanticism, the ode in decasyllables: La poesia dei secoli cristiani. The most important prose work is the one entitled Anello di sette gemme o Venezia e la sua storia; but the prose writer is much inferior to the poet. C. was an ingenious artist with the facile vein of a taste both classical and romantic; yet he did not have in life, as in art, deep feelings and firm convictions.

Italo Borzi