Italian novelist whose works reflect the conflict between reason and faith.

Fogazzaro came from a wealthy family. He cultivated his interest in music and literature at his leisure and established his reputation as a novelist only late in life with Malombra (1881; The Woman), Daniele Cortis (1885; Daniele Cortis), and Il mistero del poeta (1888; The Poet's Mystery). His best-known work, Piccolo mondo antico (1896; The Little World of the Past), was highly acclaimed, even by critics unsympathetic to his religious and philosophical ideas.

Fogazzaro became a member of the Italian Senate in 1896. He was the author of short stories and plays as well as of novels, and his poetry is collected in Valsolda (1886).