Mario Pratesi

Fonds number:
69
Title: Mario Pratesi
Dates of Material:
1818-1971, predominant 1870-1920
Extent:
1.37 m of textual records
69 photographs : b&w, col. and sepia toned
3 drawings
1 artifact
Biographical sketch

Mario Pratesi was an Italian teacher and respected author. He was born in Santa Fiora on Mont'Amiata near Grosseto, Italy, in 1842. Following the death of his mother when he was four years old, he continued to suffer from intense depression, eventually being hospitalized. After being released from the sanatorium he moved to Florence, with the ambition of becoming a writer. Financial necessity compelled him to earn his living as a teacher, however he wrote extensively in his free time, producing newspaper articles, book reviews, memorials, short stories, novellas, travel accounts, and novels, including Memorie del mio amico Tristano (1872), L'eredita (1889), Il Mondo di Dolcetta (1896, 1916), Le Perfidie del caso (1898) and Il Peccato del dottore. Pratesi retired from teaching in 1906, devoting his time to writing despite the hardships of terminal illness and poverty. Pratesi died in 1921.

Scope and content

The fonds contains records relating to Mario Pratesi's career as a writer, as well as family records.

Fonds consists of the following series:

Custodial history

Records were in the custody of Clara Carletti, the grand-daughter of Pratesi's cousin, who gave them to Anne Urbancic in the 1990's. The records were then gradually transferred to the Victoria University Library.

NOTE(S)
Source of supplied title

Title based on contents of fonds.

Immediate source of acquisition

Records were initially received from Anne Urbancic in the 1990's. Further accessions were received in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2021.

Language of material

Records are in Italian.

Access restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Finding aids

Box/File List available

Accruals

No further accruals are expected.

Related material

Carteggio Inedito di Mario Pratesi
The Pratesi Project, led by Dr. Anne Urbancic (University of Toronto) and Dr. Carmela Colella (Brock University), brings together pictures and correspondence to offer a glimpse into the life of Mario Pratesi. Approximately 1600 items are catalogued in this e-publication for the use of researchers, literary critics, historians, archivists and genealogists. Free registration required--see Registrazione page of publication.

Books by Mario Pratesi, held in the U of T libraries, have been digitized and are available through the U of T Library Catalogue

Access points

Provenance access point: Pratesi, Mario, 1842–1921