Federico De Roberto

Federico De Roberto (16 January 1861 – 26 July 1927) was an Italian writer, who became well known for his historical novel I Viceré (1894), translated as The Viceroys. De Roberto was born in Naples and began his writing career as a journalist for national newspapers, where he met Giovanni Verga and Luigi Capuana, the most prominent writers of the Verismo movement. Verga introduced him into the literary circles of Milan. De Roberto authored two books of short stories: La sorte (1887), Documenti umani (1888). His first novel, Ermanno Raeli, (1889) is largely autobiographical; deeper in psychological analysis is the second, L'illusione (1891). In 1894 his novel I Viceré was published. It was the result of years of hard work, but obtained little success upon its release. Disillusionment and nervous disorders induced De Roberto to resume journalistic work: he became a writer for the Corriere della Sera and the Giornale d'Italia. Only later, after some experience as a playwright, he returned to the novel, with L'Imperio (1908–1913), un unfinished sequel to I Viceré . He died in Catania at age 66.