Background
Berni was born about 1497 in Lamporecchio, a town of Tuscany near the river Arno. His father Nicolò was a notary of a long-established Florentine, but excessively poor.
Berni was born about 1497 in Lamporecchio, a town of Tuscany near the river Arno. His father Nicolò was a notary of a long-established Florentine, but excessively poor.
He is credited for beginning what is now known as "Bernesque poetry", a serio-comedic type of poetry with elements of satire. At an early age he was sent to Florence, where he remained until his nineteenth year and wrote a pastoral play, Catrina. In 1517 he set out for Rome, in the service of Bernardo Dovizi, Cardinal Bibbiena.
After the cardinal"s death (1520), he was thrown on his own devices.
At the time of the election of Adrian VI he circulated witty lampoons, for which he was obliged for a time to leave Rome. Later he returned to accept a situation as clerk or secretary to Gian Matteo Giberti, datary to Clement VII. The duties of his office, for which Berni was in every way unfit, were exceedingly irksome to the poet, who, however, made himself celebrated at Rome as the most witty and inventive of a certain club of literary men, who devoted themselves to light and sparkling effusions.
So strong was the admiration for Berni"s verses, that mocking or burlesque poems have since been called poesie bernesche. About the year 1530 he was relieved from his servitude by obtaining a canonry in the cathedral of Florence.
Works A partial translation of Berni"s Orlando was published by West.S. Rose (1823).
Streets in Florence and other Tuscany towns have been named after him (via Francesco Berni).