Manzoni, 1873-2023. The plague, horrible scourge between the life and the page

The Archive is institutional partner of the exhibition about Alessandro Manzoni

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni’s death, the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense hosts from the 4^th May to the 8^th July the exhibition  Manzoni, 1873-2023. La peste, orribile flagello, tra vivere e scrivere: a great review trough 114 writing, drawings and engravings retraces in an original way the figure of the author, focalizing on the two moments of his production marked by the tragedy of the scourge, I promessi sposi e Storia della colonna infame.

Organized in collaboration with Archivio Storico Ricordi and with the scientific contribution of Casa del Manzoni, the exhibition in Sala Maria Teresa leads the visitor from the past to the contemporary time. The Archive contributes with various loaning from its collections and an essay in the catalogue by the archivist Maria Pia Ferraris.

The institutional partnership of the Archivio Storico Ricordi allows deepening themes in the exhibition, starting from I Promessi Sposi and its direct reference in music with the score and libretto, also the set and costume designs for the opera adaptation of the novel into the melodrama.

Curated by Marzia Pontone with Giuliana Nuvoli and Marco Versiero, the exhibition in the Braidense Library, where is conserved since 1886 the rich Manzoni collection, explores the central theme to the author’s writings: the plague, along with war and famine, represents a crucial question in Manzoni’s thought, giving rise to powerful literary figures that have become part of a common and collective imagination.
Above all, however, the theme appeared central to our own time, which has only recently – and with difficulty – embarked on the path of reworking the dramatic experience during the years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

More info: Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense