Giovanni Boccaccio

1313–1375 · lived 62 years

Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian writer, poet, and humanist. He is best known for "The Decameron", a collection of one hundred tales depicting the life and customs of 14th-century Italy. His work had a significant influence on the development of narrative prose in Western literature.

n. 1313-06-16, Certaldo · m. 1375-09-21, Certaldo

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Bio

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375) is one of the most important literary figures of the Italian Renaissance. Born in Certaldo or near Florence, he is celebrated for "The Decameron", his masterpiece, which offers a vivid and multifaceted portrait of the society of his time, addressing themes such as love, fortune, intelligence, and morality through a variety of characters and situations. Boccaccio was also a dedicated humanist, studying and promoting the rediscovery of classical Latin and Greek texts. His friendship and correspondence with Francesco Petrarca were fundamental to the humanist movement. In addition to "The Decameron", he wrote other important works in Italian and Latin, including "Genealogy of the Pagan Gods". Boccaccio died in Certaldo.

Poems

No poems found

Quotes

[ Of the Black Death :] How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world!

[ Of the Black Death :] The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ship’s hold and covered with a little earth.

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