L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015 www.italoamericano.com 10 GIULIA LOUISE STEIGERWALT On September 17th 1515, Cardinal Ippolito d'Este wrote a l e t t e r t o t h e M a r q u i s o f M a n t o v a a n n o u n c i n g t h a t Ludovico Ariosto had just fin- ished writing "Orlando Furioso" (Mad Orlando). The epic poem w a s p u b l i s h e d i n 1 5 1 6 , a n d soon became the first best seller in publishing history. Today "Orlando Furioso" is generally regarded as the finest expression of the literary ten- dencies and spiritual attitudes of the Italian Renaissance, and n o w , a f t e r 5 0 0 y e a r s , t h e Treccani Institute has decided to publish again the story of the k n i g h t w h o l o s e s h i s r e a s o n because of his crazy love for the beautiful Angelica. This new edition is called "L'Orlando Furioso nello spec- chio delle immagini" ( "Mad Orlando in the mirror of imagi- nation"), and includes a repro- duction of the original bronze m e d a l t h a t w o u l d c l o s e t h e book. The idea is to have people rediscover this great classic, but also to tell the story of the huge influence "Orlando Furioso" had on culture and the collec- t i v e i m a g i n a r y t h r o u g h 5 1 5 images and 20 essays by experts included in the 800 page edi- tion. But let's go back in time and discover who Ludovico Ariosto was. H e w a s b o r n i n 1 4 7 4 i n R e g g i o E m i l i a , a t t h e t i m e D u c h y o f M o d e n a , i n I t a l y . Ariosto's father, Count Niccolò, was commander of the citadel at R e g g i o E m i l i a , b u t w h e n Ludovico was 10, the family moved to his father's native Ferrara, and the poet always considered himself a Ferrarese. F r o m a v e r y e a r l y a g e , Ariosto showed great interest and passion for poetry, but his father wanted him to go for a legal career, so he studied law, u n w i l l i n g l y , a t F e r r a r a f r o m 1 4 8 9 t o 1 4 9 4 . A f t e r w a r d h e devoted himself to literary stud- ies until 1499. When his father died in 1500, Ludovico, had to give up his dream of a peaceful life devoted to humanistic stud- ies, in order to provide for his four brothers and five sisters. At the time he had already man- aged to write some comedies in prose as well as lyrical pieces. S o m e o f t h e s e a t t r a c t e d t h e n o t i c e o f C a r d i n a l I p p o l i t o d'Este, son of Duke Ercole I, who took the young poet under his patronage and appointed him o n e o f t h e g e n t l e m e n o f h i s household. Ariosto's duties as a courtier were sharply at odds with his o w n s i m p l e t a s t e s . H e w a s expected to be in constant atten- dance on the cardinal and to accompany him on dangerous expeditions as well as travel on diplomatic missions. Este compensated Ariosto poorly for his efforts and later Ariosto said that the cardinal w a s u n g r a t e f u l , a n d t h a t h e deplored the time that he spent under his yoke. Yet, during this time Ariosto started to work on "Orlando Furioso" and, indeed, h e c o n t i n u e d t o r e v i s e a n d refine it for the rest of his life. " O r l a n d o F u r i o s o " i s a n "Orlando Fur ioso", the first best seller in histor y, now republished 500 years after its first edition o r i g i n a l c o n t i n u a t i o n o f B o i a r d o ' s p o e m " O r l a n d o innamorato" ("Orlando in love") and it consists of a number of episodes derived from the epics, romances, and heroic poetry of t h e M i d d l e A g e s a n d E a r l y Renaissance. The poem, howev- er, achieves homogeneity by the author's skill and economy in handling the various episodes. Despite complete disregard for unity of action (which was to become compulsory in the sec- ond half of the century), it is possible to identify three princi- pal nuclei around which the var- i o u s s t o r i e s a r e g r o u p e d : Orlando's unrequited love for Angelica, which makes him go mad (furioso); the war between Today, "Orlando Furioso" is generally regarded as the finest expression of the literary tendencies and spiritual attitudes of the Italian Renaissance MAESTRO BRAND ITALIAN SAUSAGE Also served at many of your favorite restaurants! www.maestrosausage.com Find us exclusively at the following retailers: Sorrento Italian Market 5518 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City, CA 90230 Beef Palace Butcher Shop 5895 Warner & Springdale HunƟngton Beach, CA 92649 The Butchery 415 South Associated Rd Brea, CA 92821 The Butchery 103 E. 17th Street Costa Mesa, CA 92627 The Meat House 23982 Alicia Parkway Mission Viejo, CA 92691 Vicente Foods 12027 San Vicente Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 Roma Italian Deli & Grocery 918 North Lake Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91104 Bay CiƟes Imports 1517 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90401 Eastside Market Italian Deli 1013 Alpine St. Los Angeles, CA 90012 Eagle Rock Italian Bakery 1726 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041 CavareƩa's Italian Deli 22045 Sherman Way Canoga Park, CA 91303 Mickey's Deli 101 Hermosa Beach Ave. Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 Grand View Market 12210 Venice Blvd Mar Vista, CA 90291 Venice Ranch Market 425 Rose Ave Venice, CA 90291 Christians (led by Charlemagne) a n d S a r a c e n s ( l e d b y Agramante) near Paris; and the s e c o n d a r y l o v e s t o r y o f Ruggiero and Bradamante. The main unifying element, however, is the personality of Ariosto himself, who confers his own refined spirituality on all his characters. Sensual love is the prevailing sentiment, but it is tempered by the author's iron- ic attitude and artistic detach- ment. Upon its publication in 1 5 1 6 , " O r l a n d o F u r i o s o " enjoyed immediate popularity throughout Europe, and it was to influence greatly the litera- ture of the Renaissance and fur- thermore even contemporary artists, writers and directors.

• Cover