Jacopo Sannazaro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacopo Sannazaro
|
|
|---|---|
.JPG)
Titian's Portrait of Jacopo Sannazaro (c. 1514–18) formed part of the diplomatic "Dutch Gift" to Charles II of England in 1660 (Royal Collection)
|
|
| Born | 28 July 1458 Naples |
| Died | 6 August 1530 (aged 72) Naples |
| Occupation | Court poet |
| Language |
|
| Nationality | Kingdom of Naples |
| Period | High Renaissance |
| Genres |
|
| Subjects | Pastoral, spiritual, love, humor, satire |
| Literary movement | Renaissance literature, humanism |
| Notable works |
|
Jacopo Sannazaro (born July 28, 1458 – died August 6, 1530) was an important Italian poet and scholar. He was a key figure in the humanist movement in Naples. This was a time when people rediscovered ancient Greek and Roman ideas.
Sannazaro was a member and later the head of the Accademia Pontaniana. This was a famous group of scholars in the Kingdom of Naples. He wrote easily in Latin, Italian, and Neapolitan.
He is best known for his classic work, Arcadia. This book showed new ways to write poetry in Italian. It also made the idea of Arcadia popular in European literature. Arcadia was seen as a perfect, peaceful land. Sannazaro's elegant writing style inspired many other writers. This included Sir Philip Sidney's own Arcadia.
Contents
Jacopo Sannazaro's Life Story
Jacopo Sannazaro was born in 1458 in Naples. His family was noble, meaning they came from a high social class. His father passed away around 1462, when Jacopo was a young boy.
He grew up in Nocera Inferiore and San Cipriano Piacentino. The countryside around these places influenced his poetry a lot. As a young man, he joined the Accademia Pontaniana. This was a group of scholars led by Giovanni Pontano.
In this academy, Sannazaro used the pen name Actius Syncerus. He quickly became famous as a poet. He also became a courtier, which means he worked for the royal court. His main supporter was King Alfonso. After Alfonso died in 1495, King Frederick IV gave Sannazaro a beautiful villa. This villa, called "Mergellina," was near Naples.
When Frederick IV lost his power, Sannazaro followed him into exile in France in 1501. He stayed there until Frederick's death in 1504. After that, Sannazaro returned to his villa in Naples. He spent his later years there. In 1525, he became the head of the Pontanian academy.
Jacopo Sannazaro's Writings
Sannazaro's most famous work is Arcadia. He wrote it in the 1480s and finished it around 1489. It was shared as handwritten copies before being printed in Naples in 1504.
Arcadia is a pastoral romance. In this story, the main character, Sincero (who represents Sannazaro), is sad about love. He leaves the city of Naples to live a simple life in Arcadia. There, he joins shepherd-poets, like in the poems of Theocritus.
But a scary dream makes him return to Naples. He travels through a dark tunnel to get back home. There, he learns that the person he loved has died. The story uses lots of images from old classic writings. It also shows the poet's gentle sadness and beautiful descriptions of the lost world of Arcadia.
This was the first "pastoral" work in Renaissance Europe to become famous internationally. It was inspired by old writers like Virgil and Theocritus. It also took ideas from Boccaccio's Ameto. Sannazaro's Arcadia tells the story of a narrator, Sincero, who wanders the countryside. He listens to the love songs and sad songs of the shepherds he meets. A new and important part of the book was its structure. It switched between prose (like regular writing) and verse (like poetry).
Sannazaro's Arcadia had a huge impact on literature across Europe. It influenced writers until the mid-1600s. For example, the Portuguese writer Jorge de Montemayor's Diana was inspired by Sannazaro's work.
Other Important Works
After Arcadia, Sannazaro focused on writing in Neo-Latin. This means he wrote in Latin, but with a new, Renaissance style. His Latin works often had themes from classical times.
- Bucolic Works: These include five Eclogae piscatoriae. These are poems about themes related to the Bay of Naples. He also wrote three books of elegies (sad poems) and three books of epigrams (short, clever poems).
- Other Latin Works: He wrote two shorter works. One was called Salices (meaning "Willows"). The other was De Morte Christi Lamentatio ("Lament on the Death of Christ").
- De partu Virginis: This was a sacred poem in Latin. It earned him the nickname "Christian Virgil". He rewrote it between 1519 and 1521, and it was printed in 1526. It is seen as his version of Mary's Magnificat.
Sannazaro also wrote in Italian and Neapolitan. These works include:
- Gliommeri: This was a collection of Neapolitan proverbs that he rewrote.
- Farse: These were plays.
- Rime: These were poems published in 1530. They showed the influence of the famous poet Petrarch.
He also wrote some sharp and funny epigrams. One of the most famous was against Pope Alexander VI. The Pope's son, Giovanni Borgia, was found dead in the Tiber River. Sannazaro cleverly called the Pope a "fisher of men." This was a play on words from the Bible, and it made the Pope very upset.
A famous portrait of Sannazaro was painted by Titian around 1514–18. This painting is now in the Royal Collection. It was given to Charles II in 1660 as a diplomatic gift.
The first full English translation of Arcadia was done by Ralph Nash in 1966. Later, Michael C. J. Putnam translated all of Sannazaro's Latin poetry. Sannazaro also wrote many letters to other Italian scholars. His close friend was Antonio Seripando.
Jacopo Sannazaro's Tomb
Jacopo Sannazaro's tomb is in the church of the Olivetans in Naples. It is decorated with statues of the ancient gods Apollo and Minerva. It also has groups of satyrs, who were mythical forest creatures.
In the 1700s, church leaders tried to make the tomb look more religious. They carved the name "David" under the Apollo statue. They also carved "Judith" under the Minerva statue.
See also
In Spanish: Jacopo Sannazaro para niños
