Umberto Saba, born Umberto Poli on 9 March 1883 in Trieste, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was one of the most important Italian poets and writers of the XX century.
Family Origins and Childhood
Son of Felicita Rachele Cohen, a Triestine Jew from a well-to-do family and niece of the scholar Samuel David Luzzatto, and of Ugo Edoardo Poli, a sales agent from Montereale Valcellina, Saba was born in a multicultural and complex context.
- The family lived in the Ghetto of Trieste, in via di Riborgo, in a house demolished in the 1930s.
- The father, converted to Judaism at marriage, abandoned the family months after Umberto's birth, deeply marking his life and work.
Youth Context in Trieste
Trieste, a cosmopolitan city and port of the Habsburg Empire, represented strong social and cultural tensions during Saba's youth, crossed by Italian irredentism and a rich linguistic mixture.
- In this environment, he developed his artistic sensitivity.
- He chose the surname Saba in 1910, regularized only in 1928.
The first post-war period brought profound changes: the Habsburg Empire dissolved, and the city, assigned to Italy, experienced national and social tensions. Saba's life intertwined with these, though his poetry focused on intimate, family, and human themes.
Architectural Aspects of Trieste
Trieste in Saba's time featured an urban center influenced by the Austro-Hungarian style, with buildings and infrastructures testifying to the city's mercantile vocation.
- Neighborhoods and monuments, like those of the Jewish ghetto, represented historical stratification.
- Presence of diverse peoples and cultures highlighted its complexity.
Fascist Period and World War II
During fascism and racial laws, Saba, of maternal Jewish origin, safeguarded his cultural identity, refusing Catholic conversion.
- In 1939, he sought exemption from anti-Jewish laws.
- In 1943, he took refuge with family first in Florence, then in Rome, avoiding deportation and continuing work.
In the post-war period, he received honors like the honorary degree from La Sapienza University of Rome, but fragile mental health led to clinics until his death in 1957 in Gorizia.
Historical Significance
Umberto Saba is a central figure for understanding Italian literature and Trieste's history from the late 19th to early 20th century, from the Habsburg context through post-war turmoils and border city contradictions.