Silvio Pellico

Pellico, Silvio (sēlˈvyō pĕlˈlēkō) [key], 1789–1854, Italian dramatic poet. His principal work is Francesca da Rimini (1815, tr. 1856). Imprisoned for eight years by the Austrians as a Carbonarist (see Carbonari), he wrote a candid and moving account of his prison life, Le mie prigioni (1832, tr. My Prisons, 1833), which created widespread sympathy for the Risorgimento movement.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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