GOZZI, CARLO. – Writer, born in Venice on 13 December 1720, died there on 4 April 1806.
The younger brother of Gasparo, he is remembered for Marfisa bizzarra, for the Fiabe (delicate, at times delightful, often weighed down by superficial allegories, which nevertheless enjoyed considerable success, especially in Romantic Germany), and for the Memorie inutili, a disenchanted evocation of his life. A direct opponent of Carlo Goldoni, whom he accused of insufficient poetry and immorality, he is an interesting figure of the rigid Venetian tradition opposed to modern literary and moral “follies”; a faithful advocate of obedience to constituted governments, he was a convinced opponent of the separation between philosophy and religion carried out by the “philosophers,” who, according to G., gave the name of prejudice to “blushing” and “shame.”