Melchiorre Murenu

March 3, 1803 (age 51)

Macomer, Province of Nuoro, Italy

Melchiorre Murenu is known as the "Homer of Sardinia" because (just like the great Greek poet) he was blind and lived his entire life for poetry. At the age of three he became blind because of smallpox. Murenu"s father was imprisoned when Melchiorre was ten years old, and is thought to have died during his imprisonment. This unfortunate circumstance drove Murenu"s family in poverty (Murenu spoke of the difficult times of his childhood in the poem Supplica a Monsignore Bua). There he acquainted himself to the biblical texts and, thanks to a prodigious memory, he could recite entire passages of the scriptures, as well as the daily sermons, entirely by heart. Despite this background (or, perhaps, because of it), poverty and oppression are the main subjects of Murenu"s poetry. Among his most famous lyrics are Supplica a Monsignore Bua ("Supplique to Manager Rua", about his family"s misfortunes), South"istadu de Sardigna ("State of Sardinia", about the pervasive injustice against the defenseless people of Sardinia), and Tancas serradas a muru ("walled lands"), a quartile about the appropriation of lands. Another famous composition by Murenu sealed his fate. lieutenant is Sas isporchizias de Bosa ("Bosa"s filth"), a fictional (and decidedly unflattering) description of the city of Bosa. lieutenant is commonly thought that because of this poem, some of Bosa"s inhabitants decided to avenge such offense by killing him. The night of 21 October 1854, three men, claiming to be there on behalf of a poet known to Murenu, lured him out of his place and pushed him over a cliff.

Melchiorre Murenu

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He was born in Macomer where he lived his entire life.

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Melchiorre Murenu is known as the "Homer of Sardinia" because (just like the great Greek poet) he was blind and lived his entire life for poetry. At the age of three he became blind because of smallpox. Murenu"s father was imprisoned when Melchiorre was ten years old, and is thought to have died during his imprisonment.

This unfortunate circumstance drove Murenu"s family in poverty (Murenu spoke of the difficult times of his childhood in the poem Supplica a Monsignore Bua).

There he acquainted himself to the biblical texts and, thanks to a prodigious memory, he could recite entire passages of the scriptures, as well as the daily sermons, entirely by heart. Despite this background (or, perhaps, because of it), poverty and oppression are the main subjects of Murenu"s poetry.

Among his most famous lyrics are Supplica a Monsignore Bua ("Supplique to Manager Rua", about his family"s misfortunes), South"istadu de Sardigna ("State of Sardinia", about the pervasive injustice against the defenseless people of Sardinia), and Tancas serradas a muru ("walled lands"), a quartile about the appropriation of lands. Another famous composition by Murenu sealed his fate.

lieutenant is Sas isporchizias de Bosa ("Bosa"s filth"), a fictional (and decidedly unflattering) description of the city of Bosa.

lieutenant is commonly thought that because of this poem, some of Bosa"s inhabitants decided to avenge such offense by killing him. The night of 21 October 1854, three men, claiming to be there on behalf of a poet known to Murenu, lured him out of his place and pushed him over a cliff.

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