Torquato Tasso was one of the greatest poets in Italian literature, primarily known for his epic poem "Jerusalem Delivered." Born on March 11, 1544, in Sorrento, near Naples, Tasso is an emblematic figure of the Italian Renaissance and universal literature.
He was born into a family of noble lineage but with fluctuating fortunes. His father, Bernardo Tasso, was a court poet. Due to the unstable political and financial conditions of the family, Torquato spent much of his youth traveling across Italy with his father. He received a solid humanistic education, studying in Padua and Bologna, where he delved into Greek, Latin, and philosophy.
"Jerusalem Delivered" is his most famous work, written in 1575 but definitively published only in 1581 after numerous revisions. The poem narrates the heroic and imaginary events of the First Crusade, culminating in the recapture of Jerusalem by the Christian crusaders. The work combines epic elements typical of classical epics with themes and medieval chivalric influences.
Tasso's life was marked by profound personal unrest. He suffered from psychiatric disorders, which at the time were interpreted as signs of demonic possession or madness. These issues led him to be hospitalized for long periods in psychiatric hospitals, including the famous Sant'Anna hospital in Ferrara.
In addition to "Jerusalem Delivered," Tasso wrote numerous other works, including lyric poetry, tragedies, and philosophical dialogues.
The poet died on April 25, 1595, in Rome. His death occurred just a few days before what would have been a poetic coronation ceremony on the Capitoline Hill, an honor that would have symbolically placed his figure alongside the great poets of antiquity such as Homer and Virgil.
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