Dr. Giuseppe Pitrè
BiographyGiuseppe Pitrè (December 22, 1841–April 10, 1916) was an Italian folklorist, medical doctor, professor, and senator for Sicily. As a folklorist he is credited with extending the concept of folklore to include all manifestations of popular life. He is also considered a forerunner in the field of medical history.
Pitrè was born in Palermo. After serving as a volunteer in 1860 under Garibaldi and graduating in medicine in 1866, he threw himself into the study of literature and wrote the first scientific studies on Italian popular culture, pioneering Italian ethnographic studies. He founded the study of “folk psychology” in Sicily, teaching at the University of Palermo.
Bibliography (incomplete)
Biblioteca delle tradizioni popolari siciliane (1871–1913)
Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani (1875)
Archivio per lo studio delle tradizioni popolari (journal co-founder, 1880)
The Swallow Book (English translation, 1912)
Other links
Pantheon
Wikipedia