March 29, 2011 <Back to Index>
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Not many biographical sources exist about Kornaros himself apart from the last verses of Erotokritos. It is believed that he was born to a wealthy family in Trapezonda near Sitia, in 1553, and lived there roughly up to 1590. He then moved to Candia (present Iraklion), where his marriage to Marietta Zeno took place. Together they had two daughters named Helen and Katerina. In 1591 Kornaros became an administrator, and during the outbreak of plague from 1591 to 1593 he worked as a sanitary supervisor. He showed interest in literature and was a member of a literary group called Accademia degli Stravaganti (Academy of Strange), which was founded by his brother and fellow writer Andreas Kornaros. He died in Candia, in 1613 (or 1614), and was buried at the church of San Francesco. The cause of his death remains unknown. Alternate spellings of his first name include Vicenzo and Vitzentzos. Kornaros' "Erotokritos" was a source of inspiration for Dionysios Solomos and influenced Greek poets such as Kostis Palamas, Krystallis and Seferis. There
is also a ferryboat called after his name, connecting the Greek islands
Kythera and Antikythera with Crete, the Peloponnese and Piraeus. |