Vitsentzos Kornaros

The son of a Venetian-Cretan aristocrat and a scion of the noble Venetian family of Cornaro, he was born near Sitia, Crete in 1553. Later, when he married, he came to live in Candia (now Heraklion) where he joined the Accademia dei Stravaganti. Kornaros died in 1613 (or 1614), just before his contemporaries, William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes.

• Name — Vitsentzos Kornaros • Birth Name — Vincenzo Cornaro • Born — 1553 • Birthplace — Trapezonda, Sitia, Kingdom of Candia • Died — 1613/1614 (aged 59-61) • Place of death — Candia, Kingdom of Candia • Movement — Cretan Renaissance, Cretan literature • Notable Works — Erotokritos, The Sacrifice of Abraham • Native Name — Βικέντιος Κορνάρος • Language — Greek language

Not many biographic sources exist about Kornaros apart from the last verses of Erotokritos. It is believed that he was born to a wealthy family in Trapezonda (Τραπεζόντα), a village near Sitia, Crete, in 1553, and lived there roughly up to 1590. He then moved to Candia (modern 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 the Strange Ones), which was founded by his brother and fellow writer Andrea Cornaro, who wrote in Italian language. 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 Vincenzo, Vitzentzos or Vikentios. Kornaros' "Erotokritos" was a source of inspiration for Dionysios Solomos and influenced Greek poets such as Kostis Palamas, Krystallis and Seferis.

• Illustration — Sitia statue of Vitsentzos Kornaros Monument dedicated to the Sitian poet Vicenzos Cornaros, work of the sculptor Thomas Thomopoulos