Author: Berni, Francesco
Biography:
BERNI, Francesco (1497-1536: Encyclopaedia Britannica)
As both a “prior” and a foreign-language author, Berni requires only a brief headnote; but since his name is less well known than that of his contemporary Ariosto, some introduction may be necessary. He was born in Lamporecchio in Tuscany, Italy, the son of a doctor, of aristocratic but impoverished descent. He lived in Florence until 1517, when he took up a position in Rome in the household of a relative, Cardinal Bibbiena. After his patron’s death in 1520 he served for a time as secretary to an official at the Vatican. In Rome he gained a reputation (and made some enemies) as a wit and author of lampoons: Byron (q.v.) adopted aspects of his burlesque style in Beppo and Don Juan. About 1530 Berni was able to return to Florence as a canon in the Cathedral. He died there in 1536. His major contribution to Italian literature was his “remaking” of the Orlando Inamorata of Boiardo (c 1441-94) which had itself inspired Ariosto. Berni’s reworking, published posthumously in 1541, eclipsed the original. The partial verse translation by Richard Alsop (q.v.) listed here appears to have been the first in English, antedating the prose translation of William Stewart Rose (q.v.) by almost 20 years. (Encyclopaedia Britannica [11th edn., 1911] 3: 802; NBG 5 cols 622-23) HJ