Giovanni Boccaccio is an Italian novelist and poet of the 14th century, a prominent representative of Renaissance literature. Boccaccio's work has significantly influenced Western culture. Boccaccio is known to the current reader primarily as the creator of the Decameron.
Early years and early works
Giovanni Boccaccio was born in the Florentine Republic, in the town of Certaldo, in the summer of 1313 (the exact date is unknown). His father was a merchant, and from about ten years old he tried to teach his son the merchant business, but the boy categorically did not like this occupation. In the end, Giovanni was allowed to receive an education in the field of jurisprudence. However, he did not become a lawyer either.
In the thirties of the XIV century, Boccaccio lived in Naples. And just at this time, the writer created his first works - an erotic poem called "House of Diana", the novel "Philokolo", the poem "Philostratus".
Maria d'Aquino and Boccaccio
As Boccaccio himself writes, in 1336 in the church of San Lorenzo he saw a beautiful girl - Maria d'Aquino (later in his works he will call her Fiammetta). Soon Maria became Giovanni's main love and muse. Basically, the early texts of Boccaccio are written about or dedicated to Maria. However, the girl, according to the writer himself, did not remain faithful to him for too long. Her betrayal, judging by the verses, greatly upset Boccaccio. Alas, at the moment there is no one hundred percent proof that Maria d'Aquino really existed.
It is worth noting that, in general, during his life, Giovanni Boccaccio had many affairs with different women and several children. For example, he had an illegal daughter, Violanta, to whom he dedicated some of his verses.
Friendship with Petrarch and diplomatic activity
In 1340, in connection with the ruin of his father, Giovanni Boccaccio came back to Florence (Florentine Republic). A year later, in 1341, another important event took place in his biography - he met personally the brilliant poet Francesco Petrarca. Their friendship lasted for over thirty years. It was after conversations with Petrarch that Boccaccio broke with his former frivolous life and, on the whole, became calmer and more demanding of himself.
It should be said that in the Florentine Republic, Boccaccio was a very respected person. It is known that the citizens of Florence have repeatedly elected him for responsible diplomatic work. For example, in 1350 he was an envoy to Ravenna under Astarro di Polento, and in 1351 he was sent to Padua to inform Francesco Petrarca that he could come to Florence (although at one time Father Francesco was expelled from this city for political reasons) and become the head of one of the local university departments. There is also information that in 1353 Boccaccio was sent to Pope Innocent VI to negotiate the relationship of the highest clergyman with the ruler of Germany Charles IV.
"Decameron" and other works of the Florentine period
For three years, from 1350 to 1353, Boccaccio created his most famous work, The Decameron. In fact, this is a collection of one hundred realistic short stories, imbued with the ideas of humanism, the denial of ascetic morality, free thinking and sparkling humor. Here the reader can get an idea of the customs and types of the Italian society of that era.
In addition to the Decameron, the so-called Florentine period of Boccaccio's work includes the idyllic novel Ameto, the allegory poem The Vision of Love, the poems The Fiesolan Nymphs and Corbaccio, the treatise The Life of Dante, etc.
Last years and death
From 1363 Boccaccio lived poorly on his estate in Certaldo. Here the writer read a lot, and also composed his own works. And yet Boccaccio during this period sought to establish a special department in Florence to explain and study Dante's "Divine Comedy". And as a result, such a department was actually organized.
Boccaccio last appeared in public in 1373, when he was assigned to give several lectures in Florence. But his strength was running out, he read only a small part of the planned course. The talented writer Giovanni Boccaccio died in December 1375.
