Umberto Saba adopted his final pseudonym in 1910, a name that would eventually become his official legal identity in 1928. Born Umberto Poli in 1883 in the port city of Trieste, he navigated a complex identity shaped by his Jewish heritage, a profound attachment to a Slovene wet-nurse, and a lifelong struggle with recurrent bouts of debilitating depression.
Early Life and Education
Raised in Trieste under the care of his mother and his wet-nurse Gioseffa Gabrovich Schobar, Saba maintained a close connection to his surrogate caregiver throughout his life. He briefly attended the University of Pisa in 1903 to study archaeology, German, and Latin, though he abandoned his studies due to a nervous disorder. Before fully committing to his literary path, he worked in a commercial role for a customs agent and served a year of military duty in an infantry unit in Salerno between 1907 and 1908.
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Saba published his initial collection of poems in 1910, marking his first professional use of the name Saba. His career encompassed diverse roles, including writing for the newspaper Il Popolo d'Italia and managing a nightclub in Milan. In 1919, he settled back in Trieste to purchase the Libreria Antica e Moderna, an antiquarian bookstore that provided both a stable income and an environment for his artistic pursuits. Throughout these years, he maintained a significant creative collaboration with his friend, the poet Virgilio Giotti.
The Songbook and Later Career
The core of his literary output is the Songbook, a collection he first self-published in 1921. Over five decades, this work expanded to include more than four hundred poems. During the 1930s, he pursued psychoanalysis with Edoardo Weiss. Following the enactment of anti-Jewish laws in 1939, he sold his bookstore to Carlo Cerne. After fleeing Trieste in 1943 to live in hiding in Florence, he moved to Rome. He received the Viareggio Prize in 1946 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Rome in 1953.
Personal Struggles and Final Years
His adult life was frequently punctuated by severe depressive episodes, which led to multiple hospitalizations. During the 1950s, his health declined further due to an addiction to injectable opium, necessitating stays in a Rome nursing home. He spent his final period in Gorizia, where he died in 1957 at age 74, following a heart attack and a year after the death of his wife, Carolina Wölfler, whom he had married in 1909.
Fast facts
- Born: 1883, Trieste
- Died: 1957, Gorizia
- Legal name change: 1928
- Marriage: Carolina Wölfler, 1909
- Notable honor: Viareggio Prize, 1946
- Education: University of Pisa
- Professional debut: Il Lavoratore, 1905
- Key work: Songbook
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of his bookstore?
He purchased the Libreria Antica e Moderna in 1919, which provided a steady income and became a center for his artistic collaboration with Virgilio Giotti.
Why did he change his name?
He adopted the name Saba in 1910. Theories suggest it was either a tribute to his Jewish mother or a reference to his wet-nurse, Schobar.
Achievements
- Viareggio Prize — 1946
- Genres: sonnet and essay
