Isabella di Morra | |
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![]() Alleged portrait of Isabella di Morra | |
Born | c. 1520 Favale, Kingdom of Naples |
Died | 1545/1546 Favale, Kingdom of Naples |
Occupation | Poet |
Subject | Sorrow, loneliness |
Literary movement | Petrarchism |
Isabella di Morra (c. 1520 – 1545/1546) was an Italian poet of the Renaissance. An unknown figure in her lifetime, she was forced by her brothers to live in isolation, which estranged her from courts and literary salons. While living in solitude in her castle, she produced a body of work which did not circulate in the literary milieu of the time. Her brothers eventually murdered her for her suspected secret romance.
Thirteen poems by her have survived to this day. This work is considered among the most powerful and original poetic expressions of Italian literature from the 16th century,[1] employing topics and techniques which make her, according to some scholars, a forerunner of Romantic poetry.[1]