Francesco Berni
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Francesco Berni (1497/98 – 26 May 1535) was an Italian poet. He is credited for beginning what is now known as "Bernesque poetry", a serio-comedic type of poetry with elements of satire.
Biography
Life
Berni was born 1497 or 1498 in Lamporecchio (Tuscany).
His father Nicolò was a doctor of a long-established Florentine family, but excessively poor. At an early age he was sent to
So strong was the admiration for Berni's verses, that mocking or
Works
Berni stands at the head of Italian comic or burlesque poets. For lightness, sparkling wit, variety of form and fluent diction, his verses are unsurpassed. Perhaps, however, he owes his greatest fame to the recasting (Rifacimento) of
Berni undertook the revision of the whole poem, avowedly altering no sentiment, removing or adding no incident, but simply giving to each line and
The success of Berni's Rifacimento was so great that the original text by Boiardo fell into oblivion for three centuries. Only in the nineteenth century did Anthony Panizzi discover in the British Museum Library the authentic Orlando Innamorato and publish it. A partial translation of Berni's Orlando was published by W.S. Rose in 1823.
Legacy
Streets in Florence, Empoli, Pietrasanta, Varese and Verona have been named via Francesco Berni after him.
References
- ^ a b c d Chisholm 1911.
Attribution:
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Berni, Francesco". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 802. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
External links
- Works by Francesco Berni at Project Gutenberg
- "Francesco Berni and Bernesque Poetry". Life in Italy. 20 September 2014.
- Berni's Rifacimento of Orlando Innamorato (English translation)
- Gian Matteo Giberti, Biographical note (in Italian)