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Italo Svevo

Abstract:

1. Was Italo Svevo Jewish? The question is more complex than it appears, and various answers might be given. In view of the special facts of the case, we had better start with his biography: Ettore Schmitz, son of Francesco Schmitz and Allegra (née Moravia), was born into the Jewish community of Trieste on December 19, 1861. At the age of twelve, he was sent with his brothers Elio and Adolfo, to Segnitz-am-Main, near Würzburg, to learn German. Since Trieste belonged to the Austrian Empire, German was the'official'language; but, like the majority of the Jewish inhabitants, Ettore's family spoke Italian for formal purposes, and Triestino dialect when they were at home or among friends. Many of the city's Jews originally came from Modena, The Papal States, the Veneto and Piedmont; but the preference for Italian applied equally to the large numbers of immigrants from distant places abroad: Central Europe …