Vitsentzos Kornaros
Encyclopedia
Vitsentzos or Vikentios Kornaros or Vincenzo Cornaro (March 29, 1553 – 1613/1614) was a Cretan
poet, who wrote the romantic epic poem Erotokritos
. He wrote in vernacular Greek, and was a leading figure of the Cretan Renaissance.
Not many biographic sources exist about Kornaros apart from the last verses of Erotokritos. It is believed that he was born to a wealthy family in Trapezonda near Sitia
in Crete, in 1553, and lived there roughly up to 1590. He then moved to Candia (present Iraklion
), where his marriage to Marietta Zeno took place. Together they had two daughters named Helen and Katerina.
In 1591 Kornaros became an administrator, and during the outbreak of plague
from 1591 to 1593 he worked as a sanitary supervisor. He showed interest in literature
and was a member of a literary group called Accademia degli Stravaganti (Academy of the Strange Ones), which was founded by his brother and fellow writer Andrea Cornaro
.
He died in Candia
, in 1613 (or 1614), and was buried at the church of San Francesco. The cause of his death remains unknown.
Alternate spellings of his first name include Vicenzo and Vitzentzos.
Kornaros' "Erotokritos" was a source of inspiration for Dionysios Solomos
and influenced Greek poets such as Kostis Palamas
, Krystallis
and Seferis
.
There is also a ferryboat named after him, connecting the Greek islands Kythera and Antikythera
with Crete, the Peloponnese
and Piraeus
.
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
poet, who wrote the romantic epic poem Erotokritos
Erotokritos
Erotokritos is a romance composed by Vikentios Kornaros in early 17th century Crete. It consists of 10,012 fifteen-syllable rhymed verses....
. He wrote in vernacular Greek, and was a leading figure of the Cretan Renaissance.
Not many biographic sources exist about Kornaros apart from the last verses of Erotokritos. It is believed that he was born to a wealthy family in Trapezonda near Sitia
Sitia
Sitia refers both to the port town, with 8,900 inhabitants and to the municipality with 19,209 inhabitants in Lasithi, Crete . It lies to the east of Agios Nikolaos and to the northeast of Ierapetra. Sitia port is on the Sea of Crete, which is a part of the Aegean Sea and is one of the economic...
in Crete, in 1553, and lived there roughly up to 1590. He then moved to Candia (present Iraklion
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
), where his marriage to Marietta Zeno took place. Together they had two daughters named Helen and Katerina.
In 1591 Kornaros became an administrator, and during the outbreak of plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
from 1591 to 1593 he worked as a sanitary supervisor. He showed interest in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and was a member of a literary group called Accademia degli Stravaganti (Academy of the Strange Ones), which was founded by his brother and fellow writer Andrea Cornaro
Andrea Cornaro (poet and historian)
Andrea Cornaro or Andrea Corner Hellenized Venecian aristocrat and very important historian and writer.-Biography:...
.
He died in Candia
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, in 1613 (or 1614), and was buried at the church of San Francesco. The cause of his death remains unknown.
Alternate spellings of his first name include Vicenzo and Vitzentzos.
Kornaros' "Erotokritos" was a source of inspiration for Dionysios Solomos
Dionysios Solomos
Dionysios Solomos was a Greek poet from Zakynthos. He is best known for writing the Hymn to Liberty , of which the first two stanzas, set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, became the Greek national anthem in 1865...
and influenced Greek poets such as Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School along with Georgios Drosinis, Nikos Kampas, Ioanis Polemis.-Biography:Born in Patras, he...
, Krystallis
Kostas Krystallis
Kostas Krystallis was a Greek author and poet, representative of 19th century Greek pastoral literature. He was born an Ottoman subject in Epirus, but escaped to Greece after being denounced to the authorities for writing a patriotic collection of poetry...
and Seferis
Giorgos Seferis
Giorgos or George Seferis was the pen name of Geōrgios Seferiádēs . He was one of the most important Greek poets of the 20th century, and a Nobel laureate...
.
There is also a ferryboat named after him, connecting the Greek islands Kythera and Antikythera
Antikythera
Antikythera or Anticythera is a Greek island lying on the edge of the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Peloponnese. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Kythira island....
with Crete, the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
and Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
.
External links
- The Cretan school of literature (in Greek)
- Erotokritos (Greek WikisourceWikisourceWikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
)