PELLICO, p6116-kii, SiLvio (1788-1854 ) . An Italian poet, celebrated for his long and cruel imprisonment by the Austrians. Ile was horn June 24, 1788, at SaInzzo, in Piedmont. In his sixteenth year he went to Lyons, where he stayed, giving his time mostly to French literature. until Foscolo's Came sepoleri awakened in him a strong patriotic feeling, and an irresistible long ing to return to Italy. About 1810 he went with his family to Milan, where he was professor of French in the Collegio degli Orfani Alilitari, and he also served as tutor in the family of Count Porro, in whose house the most distinguished men in Milan were wont to meet. lfis tragedy Francesco dry Rimini (1818) shows how a medie val theme may he classically handled. This play is full of lyric passages and of declamation. Pel lien took :I D active part in a liberal periodical called 11 Conciliatore, which was suppressed. For belonging to the Carbon:hi (q.v.) Pellieo was arrested in 1S20. and sent to the Prison of Santa Margherita, at Milan, where his friend the poet Maroneelli was also eonfined. In the beginning of the following year he was taken to Venice, and in January. 1822, to the prison on the isle of San Michele. near Venice. Maroneelli and he were at last condemned to death: but the Emper or connnuted the sentence to twenty years' bhprisornnent for Maroneelli, and fifteen years for In March. 1822, they were both con
veyed to the subterranean dungeons of the Spiel berg, near Briinff. in Moravia. In August. 1830. however, they were set at liberty. Pellico pnb lished an account of his sufferings during his ten years' imprisonment, under the title Le MiC prigioni. (1832). Pellieo's health, however, was permanently injured. The Marchioness of Barolo received him into her house at Turin as her secretary. He died at Turin, January 31, 1854. Pellico wrote some twelve tragedies, only eight of which he published, and nearly all of which deal with medheval subjects. Frono.sco da Rimini is the last of them and is still a popu lar play. The verse novels and lyrics (Pocsie incdite di Silvio Pcllico, Turin, 1S37) and the Pocsie (Florence. 1869) belong chiefly to the pe riod between 1834 and 1837. Pellico is shallow and sentimental, but his piety is sincere. His correspondence (Epistolario, Florence. 1856, and later editions, 1888, 1S61, 1874, 1877) re veals his tendency to mystical contemplation. his fame rests on his account of his imprison ment. Le mie priqioni has been translated into many languages. Consult: Bourbon, Silrio Pclli co, so vie ct so mort (Paris, 1879) : Psmleri. Del lo vita c delle opere di Silvio l'cllico (Turin, 1899-1901 ) .