Giovanni Boccaccio

Born in 1313, Giovanni Boccaccio became one of the great writers of medieval Italy and is most closely associated with The Decameron, his famous collection of stories told by a group of young people sheltering from the Black Death. The book's vivid characters, earthy humor, and clear-eyed view of society made it one of the most influential works in European literature.

Boccaccio wrote in both Latin and Italian, and his work ranges from poetry and prose fiction to scholarly writing. Alongside Petrarch, he is often seen as one of the major figures who helped carry Italian literature toward the Renaissance.

He was also devoted to the study of Dante, giving public lectures on the Divine Comedy and helping preserve Dante's reputation for later generations. Boccaccio died in 1375, but his storytelling style and his interest in the inner lives of ordinary people still feel surprisingly fresh.