We are at the fourth episode of the series on bestselling writers from the unification of Italy to the post-war period. It is the turn of Umberto Notari (Bologna, 1878-Perledo, 1950). Like the protagonists of the previous year, Notari's literary career went ad intersewith that of a public figure, a phenomenon of custom and an intellectual engaged in the political struggle. His books greatly benefited from the media super-exposure of the writer who at one point turned into that of cultural impresario. His cultural and political activism and proximity to power circles ended up tarnishing an extraordinary career. He was among the signatories of the Manifesto on Race, an adhesion which he accompanied with an essay entitled Panegeric of the Italian breed.
The case is said…
It is truly true that sometimes the important achievements, the ones that the newspapers will later talk about, arise from fortuitous encounters, from absolutely random and unpredictable events. And the story of Umberto Notari, protagonist of one of the most striking editorial-literary cases in the country, as well as author of very successful novels in the first decade of the twentieth century, seems made on purpose to demonstrate it.
It all begins when a young man in his early twenties, with literary ambitions to which he is unable to give substance, meets a priest on the train, and starts talking to him. The young man is returning to Milan from Turin, where he has just received a refusal to publish his novel. He confides his discomfort, his frustration as a novelist destined not to find a publisher for his book. He was born in 1878 from a not very well-to-do family from Bologna and at the age of 14 he had to look for a job. He did various jobs, among others that of secretary and typist to the director of the "Resto del Carlino", then he collaborated in some way with other newspapers. In short, he got a little experience in the world of printing. He has also published a book with interviews with the most famous divas, Lord sun. But for his novel nothing to do.
At this point the good priest does his utmost in favor of his interlocutor; it is also a work of charity to help a good young man to make his way in the difficult world of letters, and manages to get him to publish the novel by a Milanese publisher. Naturally he doesn't know what book it is, otherwise he would have changed the subject, and perhaps even the train. The book for which he generously spends himself and which he helps to publish is in fact entitled Those ladies, comes out in 1904 with a circulation of 3.000 copies, and describes the events of a brothel, narrated through the confessions of the protagonist, a prostitute named Marchetta.
Goes out "Those ladies”: a success of the censors
The novel goes almost unnoticed, but does not escape the watchful eye of some moralists, who decide to denounce the author for "insulting" in the press. The accusation is easily demonstrated, and ten days after its release, on December 20, 1904, the book is taken out of circulation. Over two-thirds of the copies held by booksellers are sent back to the author, who sells them to a second-hand dealer for 11 cents a copy, just to make some money. Furthermore, to pay the costs of the proceedings, Notari went to another publisher and offered him the perpetual transfer of the rights to the book for 1.000 lire, but the publisher refused.
Two years later, on June 23, 1906, the trial was celebrated, which, given the large number of people, took place behind closed doors. It ends with the acquittal of Notari from the charge of obscenity. And various newspapers report the news, giving ample prominence to the story, as does, for example, the "Corriere della sera". At this point the author, strengthened by the little fame that has rained on him, has his book reprinted a second time, and adds the report of the trial. And here comes a second complaint, since the proceedings of a trial held behind closed doors cannot be made public.
The “Notari” case becomes political
At this point an uproar breaks out: the real “Notari case”. Progressive opinion groups see in this second complaint an ill-concealed attempt to limit freedom of the press, and are preparing in force for the hearing, deploying a defense team made up of five top lawyers. Controversy and discussions raged in various newspapers, for or against Notari and his book. Catholic circles are lobbying to remove the book from the booksellers' windows. The general manager of the railways prohibits its sale in all stations in the kingdom. On May 4, 1907, the Minister of Justice Orlando himself mentioned these controversies in a speech on the morality of the press, and provoked a very violent debate in the chamber between right and left deputies.
These events make the author extremely famous. Notari this time is sentenced to pay a small fine, 100 lire, for having published the report of the trial. However, the case has taken on national significance, and becomes the pretext for a political and civil clash between right and left, between conservatives and progressives, between clerical and anti-clerical. The book, which until then had remained virtually unknown, ended up becoming the banner and symbol of "progress" against "clerical obscurantism".
A resounding best seller
All of which of course makes the fortune of Those ladies, which sold 105.000 copies in four months. A year later, in 1908, it exceeded 200.000 copies, in 1910 300.000, in 1920 548.000, in 1925 580.000. It is a clamorous, resounding success that has no counterpart in the editorial-literary tradition of our country. Neither I promise sposi they have sold a lot, it is said, and neither Pinocchio e Heartin the first years of life. Not only that, but translated into French, German, Spanish, Russian, Hungarian, the book exceeded a million copies in two years and became one of the biggest bestsellers in Europe. With the enormous profits that derive from the book Notari creates a company that will publish all of his books.
Notari became famous in 1907 and was printed Female, the sequel to Those ladies, which even before being published has already been booked by 50.000 readers. What ever seen! A third novel was also published in the same year, Three thieves, which reached 114.000 copies in three years, and shortly after Notari published a ferocious anticlerical pamphlet, The black pig, or God against God, which in the same year of publication exceeds 50.000 copies, a very high figure for a book that is classified as a text on politics and sociology. This too is an event that has never occurred before.
The anti-clerical battle begins
At this point Notari, who had become a very famous character, an enormously successful writer in those early years of the century, interrupted his writing activity. And he threw himself body and soul into the anticlerical battle, which in the years from 1906 to 1911 assumed an intensity and virulence never seen before, paired with Guido Podrecca, who joined him in the columns of his magazine, "L'Asino".
In 1909 Notari founded the magazine "Young Italy", which became the point of reference for the anti-clerical line-up. Among others, Arturo Labriola, Alceste de Ambris, Camillo Prampolini, Francesco Saverio Nitti, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Mario Rapisardi, Giuseppe Cesare Abba, Gian Pietro Lucini and many others collaborate on it: personalities of different orientations, but at this moment united from the common struggle against clericalism.
Various proposals emerge from the magazine: replace the saints of the calendar with secular personalities who have honored Italy, such as Garibaldi, Foscolo, Galileo, Ciro Menotti, etc.; replace religious holidays, such as Christmas, Easter and the others, with the holidays of spring, of love, of thought, as had already happened at the time of the French revolution. In February 1910, the proposal for a referendum for the transfer of the papal seat to a foreign land was launched, and many supporters were obtained, including at an international level.
In May 1910, talks began of the creation of an Italian avant-garde association, which would make anticlericalism from a movement of opinion into a more incisive political force. The proposal has had a large following. On October 10, the AIA, an Italian avant-garde association, was officially born, which began to concretely fight for the announced measures. There is also no shortage of trials of various types, involving exponents of one or the other camp, called into question for statements or initiatives deemed harmful. All with great political and journalistic clamor.
The anti-clerical front crumbles
Towards the middle of 1911, however, the anti-clerical front began to crack; among others, the divisions between the parties and the associations that compose it also weigh. Like, for example, that within the socialist party, which registers contrasts between Ferri and Turati, between the maximalist and the reformist wing. At this point, the Hague can only decline, as does the entire "anti-clerical" front.
And so Notari abandons his "political" activity and throws himself wholeheartedly into publishing. In 1912 he founded an important publishing house, "The Italian publishing institute", which will publish, in addition to his books, various series of valuable dissemination, such as the library of Italian classics directed by Ferdinando Martini, the library of Latin classics directed by Ettore Romagnoli, the national collection of Italian music directed by D'Annunzio, the library of Italian and foreign theatre, and many others, also for children.
He also created other magazines and newspapers, such as "L'ambrosiano", "Gli eventi", "Le finanze d'Italia", "La Medicina Italiana", and others still, around twenty in all. In the 15s “L'Istituto Editoriale Italiano” published 200 periodicals and printed about XNUMX books a year. Notari, tireless in his creativity, promotes further initiatives, such as "The navigating fair", an Italian book exhibition set up on a ship, which docks at the main Mediterranean ports, to promote our publishing throughout the area.
In the meantime, our character adheres to fascism, the natural outlet of his avant-garde and futurist pasts, as do other exponents of the anti-clerical battle, and becomes one of its major supporters and apologists.
But it doesn't end there. Having overcome the trauma of the death of his nineteen-year-old son in 1921 a little at best, but in reality never completely, at the end of the XNUMXs he took up the pen again to compose a series of essays, entitled "Ideas, customs, passions of the twentieth century". Among the titles we mention Mr. Jeremiah, The type three woman, The two coins, The lions and the ants and other. The series, with about twenty titles, all written by him, deals with moral, economic and social issues with vivacity and originality, from his personal point of view, also full of interesting ideas, once again receiving an excellent reception by the public.
"The Italian kitchen"
Among his numerous creations, one in particular should be mentioned: “La cucina italiana”. The magazine was born in 1929 as a monthly, founded by his wife, Delia Pavoni in Notari, who will guide it together with her husband with great shrewdness until her death in 1935. It contains columns, recipes and culinary advice of all kinds, even from unsuspected men of culture, such as the recipe for risotto from Romagna by Giovanni Pascoli, published in 1930, or, in the same year, the "Manifesto of Futurist cuisine" by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, a great friend of Notari, in which he proposes, among other things, the abolition of dry pasta.
The magazine is gradually enriched with columns and pages, until it expands to include fashion, cosmetics, home care, indications of etiquette and so on: a purely female periodical of growing success. "La Cucina Italiana", after a period of closure due to the war that lasted until 1952, and some changes of ownership, is still active today and is perhaps considered the most important in the sector.
The stain on a brilliant career
Widowed in 1935, Notari three years later remarried the opera singer Medea Colombara, well known at the time. In 1938 he was among the 320 personalities of society, science and culture who adhered to the "Manifesto of the race", drawn up by 10 Italian "scientists", and in 1939 he published an essay entitled Panegyric of the Italian race. At the end of the war he was subjected to purge proceedings for involvement with the past regime.
He died in 1950 at the age of 72.
Much has been said about him in an attempt to evaluate his work. Beyond the writings, battles and positions taken, in some cases absolutely deplorable and unacceptable, one cannot fail to consider his extraordinary publishing activity, which made him one of the leading entrepreneurs in the sector. The passion for business, the taste for creativity, the desire to always take new paths, to give life to continuous initiatives, if anything abandoning a sector when it turned out to be finished and embracing another more promising one, are symptoms of a creative fervor that knew stops. This too is a dimension to keep in mind for a final assessment of his multifaceted personality.
