Naples National Library Acquires Precious Autograph Letter by Giacomo Leopardi

The Naples National Library has acquired a precious autograph letter by Giacomo Leopardi, dated December 22, 1824, and addressed to his cousin Giuseppe Melchiorri. This is a letter of historical and literary value, further enriching the already rich Leopardian collection preserved in the Library and adding to the previous acquisition of an autograph letter from the poet also addressed to his cousin, dated August 29, 1823. The acquisition occurred thanks to the notification by the Archival and Bibliographic Superintendency of Lazio and the exercise of the right of first refusal by the Ministry of Culture, for an amount of 8500 euros. "The acquisition by the Naples National Library of an autograph letter by Giacomo Leopardi is a piece of news of great importance for the world of Italian culture. It is a document of great value that further enriches the already very rich heritage of the Library and allows us to better understand the life and thoughts of one of the greatest poets in our history," said the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano. The letter of December 22, 1824, predominantly private in nature, offers new insights for the study of the poet's life and work. In it, Leopardi talks about the birth of a composition never printed, "a neat little edition - as the text reads - of The Characters of Theophrastus translated from Greek into pure and good Italian," a concrete testimony of Leopardi's philological interest in producing an edition of the Greek text that allowed for the most correct translation of a little-known book and of which there was a more imprecise translation made "by Costantini." The two cousins maintained a dense correspondence over time, characterized by deep affection and a common interest in culture, thanks to the constant visits developed during Leopardi's stays in Rome. Similar in the writing of consonants and vowels, both for the uppercase and lowercase characters, as well as for contents and the feelings of mutual esteem expressed in the text, it seems that the two letters may have continuity with each other. The Naples National Library, the third most important library in Italy after Rome and Florence, preserves a library heritage of almost two million volumes, about 20,000 manuscripts, more than 8,000 periodicals, 4,500 incunabula, and 1,800 Herculaneum papyri. Rare and precious editions, to which is added the acquisition of this new autograph letter by Giacomo Leopardi. The Naples National Library, in fact, is the home of the most important Leopardian collection, which includes, in addition to letters, autographs, printed works, and other documents related to the poet.