Vitsentzos Kornaros

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Vitsentzos Kornaros (Greek: Βικέντιος or Βιτσέντζος Κορνάρος) or Vincenzo Cornaro (March 29, 1553 – 1613/1614) was a Cretan Greek poet of the Greek Renaissance who wrote the romantic epic poem Erotokritos. He was the leading figure of the Cretan Renaissance.

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 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 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.

Vitsentzos Kornaros was the son of a Venetian-Cretan aristocrat and was born near Sitia, Crete in 1553. When he married, he came to live in Candia (now Iraklion) where he joined the Academia dei Stravaganti.

Kornaros' "Erotokritos" was a source of inspiration for Dionysios Solomos and influenced Greek poets such as Kostis Palamas, Krystallis and Seferis.

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