Abstract

Ten years after Cesare Segre’s passing, a new collection of his writings has been published under the title Diario civile. Edited by Paolo Di Stefano, the book gathers a series of articles Segre wrote between 1988 and 2013 for the «Corriere della Sera». A renowned philologist, semiologist, and literary critic, as well as the co-founder and co-director of «Strumenti critici», Segre uses these writings to address both literary and social issues. This essay explores Diario civile, focusing on Segre’s deepening engagement with political and civic matters during a critical phase of his intellectual journey. During this period, he expanded the scope of his philological and literary studies, while also reflecting on his role and the significance of the humanities in contemporary society. Diario civile stands as a powerful testament to Segre’s reflections on the cultural and political challenges of his time – an intellectual legacy he highlighted in his autobiography, Per curiosità (1999), and his Opera critica (2014).