Appunti sullo “stile tardo” in d’Annunzio

Abstract

Often overlooked by most, the late work of Gabriele d’Annunzio discloses not only unexpected traits but also an image of the Writer and, above all, of the Man quite different from the one which the general public is usually accustomed to. Starting from this premise, the paper, through the concept of Spätstil (“late style”) – as we find it outlined in the writings of Theodor W. Adorno, Edward W. Said and Luca Lenzini –, offers an analysis of d’Annunzio’s last published piece, the so-called Libro segreto (1935): what emerges is an extremely fragmentary and heterogeneous work, in which the ostentatiousness of the Vate and the vitality of the poet of Alcyone are replaced by the silent nocturnal exploration of the prisoner of the Vittoriale, now old and close to death.