Giambattista Marino

Maneesha Patel (Columbia University)

Ed. by Jo Ann Cavallo, Columbia University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.1: Italian Writing and Culture, 453-present.
Vol. editors: Carla Bregman (Independent Scholar - North America), Jo Ann Cavallo (Columbia University)

Dates

Born 14 Oct 1569
Died 1625
Activity 1585-1624

Places

Born in Italy
Active in Italy

Activities

Primary

Poet

Resources

Marino's Works

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Recognized as the most influential Italian Baroque poet, Giambattista Marino was born in Naples on October 14, 1569. He was the oldest of seven children in a family of Calabrian origin. His mother, whose name remains unknown, died before 1600. Marino’s father, Giovan Francesco, was a lawyer who introduced his son to poetry and theater but nevertheless insisted that he study law. Two years of juridical studies (1583-1585) convinced Marino to abandon a career of “selling madness”, as he would later put it, to become a poet. He apparently sold his legal books to buy poetry, thus ending familial and financial support. In 1585, with no Humanist education, Marino entered Giulio Cortese’s Accademia degli Svegliati, assuming the name “Accorto”, or “the Shrewd One”.

Marino’s

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1690 words

Citation: Patel, Maneesha. "Giambattista Marino". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 March 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2934, accessed 23 November 2024.]