Carlo Gozzi

ItalianDecember 13, 1720 – April 4, 1806Drama

Venetian playwright who opposed Goldoni's realistic reforms by championing the commedia dell'arte tradition in elaborate fairy-tale plays. His Turandot became the source for Puccini's opera. The debate between Gozzi and Goldoni was one of the most significant theatrical controversies of the 18th century.