Some of the most outstanding Renaissance writers were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Nicola Machiavelli or Martin Luther.
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that flourished education, literature, art and science. The Renaissance saw an influx of new ideas and new practices and left a deep cultural legacy.
He Renaissance Was possible thanks to the scientific discoveries, especially the development of J. Gutenberg's printing press, which allowed the mass production of books.
It is considered that the heart of the Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, at the beginning of the fourteenth century. This was aided by the financial and cultural support of the dominant family, surnamed Medici, and later the Vatican.
The Renaissance was literally a"renaissance,"the period in European civilization immediately after the Middle Ages Characterized by a wave of interest in studies and classical values.
For the scholars and thinkers of that time, it was above all a time of revival of classical learning and wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.
The most influential writers of the Renaissance
Although there were a large number of well-known writers, some excelled by their excellent work and the influence of their writings in the world of the fourteenth century.
1 - Leonardo Da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
Leonardo wrote in small notebooks using his left hand and a technique of writing in mirror (the text is written from right to left).
He often painted with his left hand and only seemed to write with his right hand when he wanted the text to be easily read by others.
His great scientific works such as the Vitruvian Man, the machine gun, the helicoidal screw, the calculator and other contributions, made him a figure of renown during the Renaissance and in world history.
Scholars presume that Leonardo may have worried that others would steal his ideas and therefore decided to use this type of writing. He introduced the technique of specular writing at that time.
2- Miguel Angel (1475-1564)
Miguel Angel is known in history for his extraordinary achievements in sculpture and painting, and it is said that he preferred the physical work involved with both. However, he wrote numerous literary works, including letters, diary entries and poems.
His literary skills are most marked in his poetry, which he wrote throughout his long life. Many of his poems are addressed to both men and women, while his mystical religious poems are directed at no one in particular.
In dealing with deep emotional themes, his poetry is not as subtle as that of many other poets, as it is perhaps a reflection of his artistic inclinations.
3- Nicholas Machiavelli (1469-1527)
Machiavelli was an Italian writer, historian, diplomat and humanist. Moving in political circles, he created a new branch of political science based on humanistic principles. His greatest work, The Prince, is an exposition of his political machinations.
4- Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Leader of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther wrote 95 theses attacking the church, such as criticizing the belief that sin could be mitigated by paying money to the church.
Martin Luther was a former communiqué of the Catholic Church and was a key figure in the new Protestant religion.
5- Petrarch (1304 - 1374)
Francesco Petrarch, born in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. He was an Italian scholar, poet and humanist whose poems addressed to Laura, an idealized beloved, contributed to the Renaissance flourishing of lyrical poetry.
The inquisitive mind of Petrarch and the love of the classical authors led him to travel, to visit men of learning, and to seek monastic libraries for classical manuscripts. He was considered the greatest scholar of his time.
6- Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
He was a novelist, playwright and Spanish poet, creator of Don Quixote (1605, 1615) and is recognized for being the most important and famous figure in Spanish literature.
His novel Don Quixote has been translated, totally or partially, into more than 60 languages. The editions continue to be printed regularly, and the critical discussion of the work has continued unabated since the eighteenth century.
At the same time, due to its wide representation in art, theater and cinema, the figures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are probably visually more familiar than any other imaginary character in world literature.
Cervantes was a great experimenter. He tried all major literary genres except the epic.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
William Shakespeare, also spelled Shakspere, known as the Bard of Avon or the Swan of Avon. He was a poet, playwright and English actor, often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the greatest playwright of all time.
Shakespeare occupies a unique position in world literature. His most famous works include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet.
Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national boundaries, but the living reputation of a writer does not compare with that of Shakespeare, whose works, written in the late sixteenth and early twentieth centuries Of the XVII for a small repertoire of theater, are now interpreted and read more frequently and in more countries than ever.
The prophecy of his great contemporary, the poet and playwright Ben Jonson, that Shakespeare"was not of a time, but of eternity,"has been fulfilled.
8- Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)
Teresa de Avila was a notable religious reformer of the 1500s. Teresa Sánchez was born in the city of Avila in central Spain and did not receive formal education, although she read much since she was a child.
In 1535, Teresa entered the religious order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (known as the Carmelites) and in 1562 founded a small convent called San José de Avila.
There he introduced such reforms as a simple lifestyle, devotion to inner prayer and rejection of racial prejudice.
In 1970 she became the first woman to receive the title of Doctor of the Church, an honor granted to a select group of religious writers.
His three most famous works are his autobiography, titled:"Book of his life"; An allegory called"The Inner Castle"; And"The Way of Perfection,"a guide to mental prayer.
9- Pierre de Ronsard (1524-1585)
Born in France, he was a poet and writer, head of the French renaissance group of poets known as La Pléiade. Ronsard was the youngest son of a noble family in the county of Vendôme.
An illness contracted on an expedition with Princess Madeleine to Edinburgh left him partially deaf, however, his ambitions were diverted to scholarship and literature.
He learned Greek from the brilliant tutor Jean Dorat, read all the Greek and Latin poetry then known, and gained some familiarity with Italian poetry.
It formed a literary school that had by name La Pléiade, and its objective was to produce French poetry that could be comparable with the verses of the classic antiquity.
10- Baldassare Castiglione (1478 - 1529)
He was an Italian courtier, diplomat and writer, best known for his dialogue"Il libro del cortegiano"(1528; Libro del Courtier).
Son of a noble family, Castiglione was educated in the humanistic school of Giorgio Merula and Demetrius Chalcondyles, and in the court of Ludovico Sforza in Milan.
His great work, mentioned above, was a great editorial success for the standards of the time. It was written and read by noble women, including the poet Vittoria Colonna, Isabel de Este, Marquesa de Mantua, and the author's mother, as well as by men.
In the century after its publication, it averaged one edition a year and was translated into Spanish (1534), French (1537), Latin (1561), and German (1565), in addition to the English version of Sir Thomas Hoby , The Courtyer of Count Baldessar Castilio (1561), and the Polish adaptation of Łukasz Górnicki, Dworzanin polski (1566,"The Polish courtier"). The book remains a classic of Italian literature.
References
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- Andrew Graham-Dixon. (1999). Renaissance. Google Books: University of California Press.
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- Source Wikipedia, LLC Books. (Aug 15, 2011). Renaissance Writers: Miguel de Cervantes, Manuel Chrysoloras, Demetrius Chalcondyles, Lady Mary Wroth, Robert Henryson, Mary Sidney. Google Books: General Books.
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