Louis Notari

Who is Louis Notari?

Louis Notari was a Monégasque poet, notary, and civil servant regarded as the father of written Monégasque literature. Before Notari, Monégasque (Munegascu), the Ligurian-derived language native to the Rock of Monaco, existed almost entirely as an oral tongue with no standardized literary tradition. Notari changed that, writing verse and prose in Monégasque and helping to give the language its first serious body of written work, including "A Legenda de Santa Devota" (1927), a narrative poem retelling the legend of Monaco's patron saint, Saint Devota. His most enduring contribution came in 1931, when he wrote the definitive Monégasque lyrics for the national anthem, "Hymne Monégasque," set to music originally composed by Léon Jehin in 1914; those lyrics remain the anthem's only official text to this day, even though French is Monaco's sole official administrative language. In recognition of his literary and cultural service, Prince Rainier III personally awarded Notari the Order of Saint-Charles, Monaco's highest honor, in 1960, near the end of the poet's life. Notari's work remains central to efforts to preserve and teach the Monégasque language today.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Louis Notari" · HelloMonaco, "Louis Notari – the Father of Monegasque Literature" · Government of Monaco, "National Anthem" (palais.mc)