Friday, January 6, 2012

Pietro Bembo: Humanist, Linguist, Literary Theorist, Poet...

Pietro Bembo,  (born May 20, 1470, Venice—died Jan. 18, 1547, Rome), was a Renaissance cardinal who wrote one of the earliest Italian grammars and assisted in establishing the Italian literary language.

In 1513, Bembo became secretary to Pope Leo X in Rome. On Leo’s death (1521), he retired to Padua. He accepted the office of historiographer of Venice in 1529, and was shortly thereafter appointed librarian of St. Mark’s Cathedral. Created a cardinal in 1539, Bembo returned to Rome, where he devoted himself to theology and classical history.

Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "Pietro Bembo," accessed December 05, 2011, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/60259/Pietro-Bembo.

Primary Sources:
Bembo, Pietro. Gli Asolani di messer Pietro Bembo.Impressi in Venetia: nelle case d'Aldo Romano, 1505.  call number: Special Collections - Gunst Collection Z239.9 .A36 B45 CB 

Bembo, Pietro. Gli asolani. In Vinegia: Nella case d'Aldo Romano & d'Andrea Asolano suo suocero, 1515.  call number: Special Collections - Gunst Collection Z239.9 .A36 B45 1515 CB 


Bembo, Pietro, J. Ang. dei Angeli, and Comin da Trino. Prose. In Venetia: [Comin da Trino], 1540. call number: Special Collections - Rare Books Collection PC1073 .B3 1540 T 

Bembo, Pietro. Rime. In Vinetia: [Giovanni Andrea Valvassori], 1544.  call number: Special Collections - Rare Books Collection PQ4608 .A15 1544 

Leo. Papal brief signed by Pietro Bembo, the secretary to Leo X. 1516.  call number: Special Collections - Manuscript Collection  M1788

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brought to you by...
Sarah Sussman, curator of French and Italian Collections