ABSTRACT
An anonymous text published in Venice circa 1650, L’Alcibiade is considered one of the most obscene works of Italian literature. It has been attributed to the friar Antonio Rocco, a prominent figure of the so-called Accademia degli incogniti (Academy of the Unknown), notorious for its libertine ideology and its strong anticlericalism. Since the Academy of the Unknown was composed of the most affluent members of Venetian society, it could afford to ignore the constant threats of the Catholic Church. L’Alcibiade is structured as a dialogue between a teacher and his student in ancient Greece.
