author
John Florio
d. 1625
A lively bridge between Italian and English Renaissance culture, this scholar and translator helped bring Montaigne to English readers and became one of the great language teachers of Elizabethan and Jacobean England.
1 Audiobook
Giardino di Ricreatione
by John Florio
About the author
Born in London around 1553 to a family of Italian Protestant refugees, John Florio grew up between England and continental Europe. He became known as a humanist, linguist, language teacher, translator, and lexicographer, building a career that connected English readers with Italian and French literature.
Florio is best remembered for his Italian-English dictionaries and for his celebrated English translation of Montaigne's Essays. His work as a tutor and court figure placed him close to the literary and intellectual life of late Tudor and early Stuart England, and he is often remembered as an energetic champion of language itself.
He died around 1625 in Fulham, near London. Today, he remains an important figure for readers interested in the Renaissance, translation, and the rich exchange of ideas between England and Europe.