Commento della direttrice della Biblioteca Nazionale alla visita del Ministro ai luoghi di Croce. “I am sure that Minister Sangiuliano will return as soon as possible”
“I express my deepest satisfaction in learning that the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, has chosen to inaugurate the activities of his department in Naples by visiting the Institute of Historical Studies and the Benedetto Croce Library Foundation, placing the emphasis on the importance of the book and documentary heritage and on the relevance of research and studies in our city, in particular, on the tradition of high historical and philosophical studies that Palazzo Filomarino boasts”.
Maria Iannotti, director of the National Library of Naples, the other place of excellence for Croce studies and custodian of a collection of autographs and manuscripts of Benedetto Croce, of absolute uniqueness, an exclusive reference for any study on the philosopher, declared; a collection of inestimable scientific value, which gathers the autographs of his main philosophical works, among all the Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Practice.
“I am certain that Minister Sangiuliano – adds Maria Iannotti – he will return as soon as possible, this time, not only as a scholar and writer, to the National Library where Benedetto Croce spent a large part of his life studying and which he always considered 'his Library', sharing its fate and destiny."
Croce was the architect of the transfer of the National Library from the Archaeological Museum to the Royal Palace, and during his lifetime he donated to the Library volumes and periodicals used for his studies, now preserved in the Hall on the second floor, overlooking the sea, which bears his name. After the philosopher's death, his wife and daughters continued to donate copies of his works to the Library, especially his translations.
The collection of autographs is kept in the Manuscripts Section of the National Library, “considered by Croce his second home”. “In 1966, the centenary of his birth, heirs and friends began to donate some autographs of his writings – explains Maria Iannotti – giving life to the special collection that has been enriched over time also thanks to a careful purchasing policy, recovering the works put up for sale on the antiques market. Since the early 90s, in fact, the General Directorate of Libraries of the Ministry has been committed to purchasing the numerous autographs donated by Croce to friends and collaborators after the publication of the texts and put up for sale by their respective heirs”.
Article published on 26 October 2022 - 12:57
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