Alessandro Tassoni

Alessandro Tassoni ( born September 28, 1565 in Modena, † April 25, 1635 ) was an Italian poet.

Life

Tassoni studied in Bologna and Ferrara 's rights. In 1589 he became a member of the Accademia della Crusca in Florence and Rome in 1597 secretary to Cardinal Colonna, whom he accompanied in 1600 by Spain.

From the Cardinal in personal matters of the same to Rome returned, he was there all the way down, was admitted to the academies of " Umoristi " and " Lincei " and one of the most enthusiastic members of the same.

A first result of his work was his " Considerazioni sopra le rime del Petrarca " (Modena 1609), by which he became embroiled in a fierce literary feud, but yet earned the merit of exaggerated veneration of Petrarch and the reputation of his clumsy imitator an end to put.

Hardly less caused a stir his " Pensieri diversified " (Rome 1612 ), in which he attacked Homer and Aristotle.

In 1612 he entered the service of Charles Emmanuel of Savoy, but withdrew when, after a long wait, his promotion was prevented by intrigues, to private life until 1626, the Cardinal Lodovisio him to his secretary and after the cardinal's death Francis I of Modena him (1632 ) appointed to his chamberlain. Tassoni died but already 1635th

Work and significance

His fame is preferably based on his heroic- comic poem " La secchia rapita ", in 12 cantos (Paris 1622), which has the Modenese between the Bolognese and in the 13th century over a resultant of the former stolen from Bologna buckets war the subject.

This is actually the first comic epic of modern times in the strict sense of the word, is because of its happy blend of seriousness and jest, the originality of thoughts and images, the beauty of genuine Tuscan language and the ease of versification to the classical works of Italians. The " Secchia rapita " experienced as a result numerous reissues (best, Modena 1744, Paris 1766, Venice, 1813). The epic poem was the basis of several operas, most notably the setting of Antonio Salieri.

Writings (selection )

  • Bartolommeo Gamba (ed.): Lettere. Venice 1827.
  • The stolen bucket ( Selected Library of the classics of foreign countries; Vol. 14). Leipzig 1842 ( translated by Paul Ludolf Kritz ).
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