Pietro Canavelli (inItalian, his personal spelling;[1] known asPetar Kanavelić inCroatian; 27 December 1637 – 16 January 1719) was aCroatian writer who wrote poems inCroatian and Italian. He is regarded as one of the greatest Croatian writers of the 17th century.[2]
Petar Kanavelić | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 27, 1637 |
| Died | January 16, 1719(1719-01-16) (aged 81) Korčula, Republic of Venice (now Croatia) |
| Other names | Pietro Canavelli |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, poet |
Canavelli was born inCurzola (Korčula), part of theRepublic of Venice (now modernCroatia), the last male descendant of an old, wealthy and distinguished noble family of the town. In Curzola he attended local schools. He undertook clerical studies. He also studied law inPadua. This was a quite common practice for the time for patricians from all over theRepublic of Venice. He worked in a series of town offices, mostly in legal matters, trade and the management of property. He was also a teacher, lawyer and in 1665 became a member of the Great Council. InZara (Zadar), he was Chancellor of the VenetianGovernor General ofDalmatia, C. Cornaro and A. Priuli (1665–68). In 1673 he became the representative of the Curzola community inVenice. He died in Curzola in 1719.
Canavelli's literary work is one of the widest and most diverse in the 17th century. He wrote poems, epic works and songs inCroatian andItalian. He occasionally composed wedding songs. The oldest preserved traces of Canavelli's literary work was a written confirmation from 1660 for which he was paid 12Lira for performing the song on the occasion of the arrival of General A. Cornaro, in the town of Curzola. This is one of the oldest recorded fee payments in the history of Croatian literature. During his stay in Zadar, Canavelli was inSpalato (Split) in 1667 and participated in theItalian comedyLa moglie di Quattro Care which was byVenetian librettistGiacinto Andrea Cicognini. He traveled throughout Dalmatia and theRepublic of Ragusa. There he gained a status within the Ragusan community who were mostly the leading writers and intellectuals of their time (Nikola Bunic, Baro Bettera, Sisko Gundulic, George Lucic). Later he became a member of theAkademije Ispraznijeh. His works have been translated in Italian,Hungarian andPolish.
There is a primary school named after him in the town ofKorčula.
