Guido Guinizelli (ca. 1225–1276) was an esteemed Italian love

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and is considered the "father" of the

Dolce Stil Novo ''Dolce Stil Novo'' (), Italian for "sweet new style," is the name given to a literary movement in 13th and 14th century Italy. Influenced by the Sicilian School and Tuscan poetry, its main theme is Divine Love. The name ''Dolce Stil Novo'' w ...

. He was the first to write in this new style of poetry writing, and thus is held to be the ''

ipso facto is a Latin phrase, directly translated as "by the fact itself", which means that a specific phenomenon is a ''direct'' consequence, a resultant ''effect'', of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a previous action. It is a ...

'' founder. He was born in, and later exiled from,

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

, Italy. It is speculated that he died in Verona, Italy.

Poetry

Guinizelli's

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meani ...

can be briefly described as a conciliation between

divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

and earthly

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

with deep psychological

introspection Introspection is the examination of one's own conscious thoughts and feelings. In psychology, the process of introspection relies on the observation of one's mental state, while in a spiritual context it may refer to the examination of one's sou ...

. His major works are ''Al cor gentil rempaira sempre Amore'
(Within the gentle heart abideth Love)
which Peter Dronke considers "perhaps the most influential love-song of the thirteenth century" (Dronke 1965, 57), as well as ''Io vogli del ver la mia donna laudare'' and ''Vedut'ho la lucente stella Diana''.Se
Paolo Borsa, ''La nuova poesia di Guido Guinizelli''
Fiesole, Cadmo, 2007. The main themes of the

can be found in Guinizelli's ''Al cor gentil rempaira sempre amore'': the angelic beauty of the beloved women, the comparison of nobility to the sun and the rampant use of topoi such as ''cor gentil'' and ''Amore.''

Role in Dante's ''Divine Comedy''

''Purgatorio'' XI

Guido Guinizelli appears twice in

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His '' Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ...

's ''

Purgatorio ''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the '' Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of D ...

''. At first, he is briefly mentioned in ''Purgatorio'' XI, when Dante encounters the great Italian artist, Oderisi da Gubbio, on the terrace of Pride. While discussing the fleeting nature of fame and recognition, Oderisi refers to Guido Guinizelli and his successor,

Guido Cavalcanti Guido Cavalcanti (between 1250 and 1259 – August 1300) was an Italian poet. He was also a friend and intellectual influence on Dante Alighieri. Historical background Cavalcanti was born in Florence at a time when the comune was beginning its ...

(ca. 1250–1300):

Thus has one Guido taken from the other the glory of our tongue, and he, perhaps, is born who will drive one and then the other from the nest (''Purgatorio'' XI. 97-99).

''Purgatorio'' XXVI

In ''Purgatorio'' XXVI, Dante journeys through the terrace of Lust, where he finally meets Guido Guinizelli. Like the other shades on this terrace, Guido is engulfed in flames to repent for his burning desires while alive. Once Guido reveals his identity, Dante narrates the awe and respect he has for the esteemed poet:

when he gave his name and I knew he had been father to me and to others, my betters, who always used love's sweet and graceful rhymes (''Purgatorio'' XXVI. 97-99).

In this tercet, Dante refers to Guinizelli's influence on Italian poetry and the style of

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guinizelli, Guido 1230 births 1276 deaths Writers from Bologna Guinizzelli Italian-language poets