It was the year 1934 when, during the month of November, the Royal Swedish Academy announced to Luigi Pirandello: poet, novelist and playwright, among the greatest Italian writers of all times, that he would be awarded “for his courage and the ingenious representation of dramatic and theatrical art, “the highest honor to which a writer can aspire: the Nobel Prize for Literature.
That year, the great Italian playwright preveailed over two other nominees, also great names of world literature: Paul Valery and GK Chesterton. The award was presented on Dec. 10th in Stockholm by the King of Sweden himself during the usual ceremony. For the world of Italian culture and the whole country it was a great honor. A few months before receiving the news, Pirandello had arranged with the Italian Institute of Culture in Prague, directed at the time by the writer and journalist Giovanni Battista Angioletti, to hold a conference in December of the same year.
In view of the visit of the famous writer to the Bohemian capital, the National Theatre of Prague had organized a performance for the 19th of that month, in the presence of the author and for the fist time, the staging his latest work: “Non si sa come”, a play in three acts, translated into Czech by Václav Jiřina. On hearing the news that the Playwright had been awarded the Nobel Prize, many in Prague began to doubt that he would keep his promise. But, after a phone conversation, Pirandello sent word that he would honour his commitments and keep his word.
And so it was: despite the numerous receptions and ceremonies in his honor, the interviews and fatigue he had been subject to during his days in Stockholm, the Playwright left the Swedish capital by train straight for Prague, where he knew that other intense days awaited him. 1934 – the fourth term election year for Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk to the Presidency of the Czechoslovak Republic – was a year in which relations between Italy and Czechoslovakia had been particularly intense, also if we consider that, in June, the Italian national football team led by Vittorio Pozzo had won 2-1 in Rome, to become world champions during the home final match against Czechoslovakia – coached by Karel Petru and with the astonishing left winger Oldrich Nejedly. The visit of the Italian Nobel Prize winner on Czech land thus closed a year in which the two countries had interacted to a considerable extent.
Of those days in Prague we have a valuable testomony written by the wise and lively pen of Angioletti, the Director at the time of the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague, author of many works of fiction and non-fiction, who held that office from 1932 to 1935.
In an article published on the 8th edition of the “Emporium”, a monthly illustrated journal of art and culture, dated August 1937, Angioletti tells us of how Pirandello arrived by train from Stockholm: “On a typical dark and cold morning, which in those countries heralded cloudy weather”, and of the fact that only his secretary had got off the train to tell the people present that Pirandello begged them to allow him to sleep a little bit more because he was extremely tired. The portrait which Angioletti portrays of Pirandello is that of a gentle, generous and thoughtful man, to such an extent that, several times, in his presence, he had expressed regret for the fact that a waiter at his service in Stockholm had been reprimanded by his boss for being slightly negligent, and of how Pirandello had actually telegraphed Stoccolm a number of times, just to make sure that the waiter had been forgiven.
Pirandello was instantly loved by the citizens of Prague, who had already had several opportunities to appreciate his works. On 12th October, 1923 the play “Commedia da fare”, translated by M.Votrubova-Haunerova and published by Zora was performed in Prague, while in 1926 the Pirandello company of actors with Marta Abba as leading actress, went on tour to Czechoslovakia and proved to be a great success. Also well known in Czechoslovakia at the time were his novels and many other works. But in December 1934, the Prague people were impressed not only by the charisma of the great writer and playwright, but were above all conquered by his kindness, helpfulness and friendly manners towards everybody, which were far off from the stereotypes that are usually attributed to famous personalities. Even if just for the sake of not displeasing his public, Pirandello stoically endured countless meetings, banquets, speeches, and formal ceremonies and, although they were the expression of great enthusiasm and admiration towards the popular Italian writer, they proved to be particularly trying for a man who was already tired because of his previous days in Sweden. On this last day in town, Pirandello was also solemnly welcomed at the PEN Club in Prague, where he was involved in conversations with the leading Czech personalities of that period from the world of literature, theatre, art and science. Angioletti added that Pirandello was “one of those rare men, almost impossible find, who are able to take into account the sensitivities of others” and tells a very interesting and enlightening anectode on the personality of the playwright and writer. During the rehearsals for the staging of “Non si sa come” at the Narodni Divadlo, staged with an abstract and symbolist style, creating a sort of metaphysical atmosphere, that according to the Czech director was supposed to express the essence of “Pirandellian drama”, Pirandello did not seem to be convinced and expressed surprise to his interlocutors, saying that he considered himself: “A simple, natural writer, who seeks only to represent everyday life, as we Italians see it” and that the ideal environment for the representatioon of his characters is the “Home, any ordinary home; a world without symbols, but to be seen and touched, in other words, reality”. Despite this fact, Pirandello did not wish to say anything to the Bohemian director – who surely would have had the time to change the scenario if he had wished to – simply replying to those who insisted that the director could be offended or “saddened”. “He sees things his own way – my things – what can we do, let’s allow him to see things this way… and never mind”. Each in his own way, the playwright also applied to life the definitions of his theater.
During the conference held at the Italian Institute of Culture, which used to be called “Institute of Italian Culture,” with its headquarters still at 41 Jungmannova, which was a district of Prague 2, Pirandello spoke of his vision of Italian fiction in front of an audience of scholars and enthusiasts of the Italian language with men of letters, politicians and important personalities from the Czech cultural world. During those days in Prague, he had little time to relax, but all the same, made himself available to everybody and always tried to hide the weariness of those exhausting days. He was courteous with everyone, signed photographs and dedicated books to all of those who asked him, “just as if he had a mission to carry out”. Together with Angioletti, the playwright often spoke of the Italian literary scene of those years: “He was quite severe towards hacks, swindlers, and superficial people, but he was the first to recognize talent whenever he saw it, especially that of young people, even if they were not particulary in line with his way of thinking”.
After his visit to Prague and the very intense days spent there, Pirandello departed for Rome where other engagements and trips awaited him. “Always taken up – as Angioletti wrote –by his ghosts and the harsh obligations which living in this world entails. And also in the fate of having to leave all the time, there was a sign of involuntariness which he perceived in his life.” But the Prague visit proved to be the last of his trips, because he died – while still in his full artistic and creative vigour – at his home in Rome on 10th December 1936, exactly on the same day, in which two years earlier, he received the Nobel prize for Literature.