Alessandro Manzoni, Italian poet and novelist, lived from 1785 to 1873.

His greatest masterpiece, I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) was written between 1821 and 1825, and rewritten in 1840. Regarded as a national classic in Italy and as a masterpiece of world literature, The Betrothed takes place in Lombardy in 1628-30, a period of war, plague and hardship and endorses Manzoni's belief in the power of religion to lead and inspire humanity. Its patriotic appeal during a period of intense nationalism was heightened after the book was rewritten in contemporary Florentine idiom, thus ensuring its appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

Manzoni is also well known for his series of sacred hymns (Inni Sacri).

• www.italica.rai.it/eng/principal/topics/literature/manzoni.htm
• http://48.1911encyclopedia.org/M/MA/MANZONI_ALESSANDRO_FRANCESCO_TOMMASO_ANTONIO.htm