Alexander Lozza
{{Short description|Swiss writer}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Alexander Lozza
| image = Holzskulptur für Pater Alexander Lozza (1880 - 1952) in Salouf.jpg
| caption = {{center |Wooden statue of Alexander Lozza in Salouf.}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1880|06|27}}
| birth_place = Marmorera, Grisons, Switzerland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1953|02|13|1880|06|27}}
| death_place = Tiefencastel, Grisons, Switzerland
| occupation = Priest & preacher
Writer of poetry
}}
Alexander Lozza, OFMCap (Marmorera, 27 June 1880 - Tiefencastel, 13 February 1953) was a Swiss Catholic priest from Graubünden. He wrote poetry in Italian and Romansh language, especially in the Surmiran dialect.{{cite web |url=https://memobase.ch/de/object/rtr-001-1879_025_A |title=Pader Alexander Lozza 1880-1953 |website=MemoriaV |year=1980 |accessdate=28 July 2020 |language=rm }}
Biography
Born in a big family, he was originally christened Constantin. At age 15 he was sent to a Catholic school in Genoa; back then, he started writing poetry in Italian. At age 20 he entered the Capuchin society, where he adopted the name Alexander. Some years afterwards, already a priest, he started presiding over several Catholic parishes in his canton. People liked his preaches and encouraged him to write poetry in Romansh. He was also fond of hunting and photography.{{cite web |url=https://www.rtr.ch/audio/marella/pader-alexander-lozza-il-pader-stravagant?id=10781589 |title=Il pader stravagant |website=Radiotelevisiun Svizra Rumantscha |date=20 December 2015 |accessdate=28 July 2020 |language=rm }}
In his theatrical play L’appariziung da Nossadonna da Ziteil, which premiered in 1933,{{cite web |last=Guldemond-Netzer |first=Ursina |url=https://tls.theaterwissenschaft.ch/wiki/Alexander_Lozza |title=Alexander Lozza |work=Theaterlexikon der Schweiz |accessdate=28 July 2020 |language=rm}} he portrays a local legend of a Marian Apparition back in 1580. Nowadays, in the place of the apparition stands the church of Ziteil, near Salouf.{{cite web |last=Guldemond-Netzer |first=Ursina |url=https://tls.theaterwissenschaft.ch/wiki/Gieu_da_pelegrinadi_da_Ziteil |title=Gieu da pelegrinadi da Ziteil |work=Theaterlexikon der Schweiz |publisher=Institut für Theaterwissenschaft der Universität Bern |accessdate=28 July 2020 |language=rm }}
Alexander Lozza was uncle of Duri Loza (1920–2012), who was parish priest of Salouf between 1949 and 2012, and custodian of Ziteil sanctuary between 1950 and 1999. Loza devoted himself to publishing his uncle's work and to the translation of church songs into Romansh.
The work of Alexander Lozza was published in the 1950s. In 1951 appeared the collection Ziteil and, in 1954, Poesias. His poems are frequently published in Romansh-language schoolbooks.{{cite web |url=https://www.unterrichtsmaterial.ch/arbeitsblatt/68644-rumantsch-oter-pader-alexander-lozza |title=Pader Alexander Lozza |work=Arbeitsblätter für die Schule |accessdate=21 August 2024 |language=rm }}
Bibliography
- {{HDS|9113|Alexander Lozza|author=Lucia Walther |date=26 August 2010 }}
- {{cite book|title=Pader Alexander Lozza, 1880-1953 |year=1980 |publisher=Ediziun dall'Uniung rumantscha da Surmeir |language=rm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ZVxmQEACAAJ }}
References
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External links
{{commonscat}}
- {{cite web |url=https://nossaistorgia.ch/entries/Y2vV5knKMe3 |title=Broadcasting recording of Alexander Lozza |language=rm |accessdate=19 August 2024 |year=1939 |website=NossaIstorgia.ch}}
- {{cite journal |url=https://www.e-periodica.ch/digbib/view?pid=ann-001%3A1963%3A76%3A%3A247#251 |title=Obituary of Alexander Lozza, Surmiran poet |journal=Annalas da la Societad Retorumantscha |year=1963 |page=188 |accessdate=19 August 2024 |language=rm }}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lozza, Alexander}}
Category:20th-century Swiss Roman Catholic priests
Category:20th-century Swiss poets
Category:Romansh-language writers
Category:Swiss writers in Italian
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