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Poetry book by Francesco Berni, (1497-1535)

Born in 1497 CE, Francisco Berni was a son of an impoverished doctor who found himself living and working in the service of the Catholic Church from a young age. Finding his experiences in the church dissatisfying (possibly due to a sympathy for the Reformation) Berni began developing a reputation as a writer – first as a playwright, later as a satirist, an occupation at which he was so successful he was sent away from Rome for a time. Later, working as a clerk for Italian Bishop Gian Matteo Giberti, Berni established himself in the literary scene of Renaissance Italy with a flourish. His verse – known for biting wit, satirical observations, double entendre, and fluid prose – established and named the Bernesque poetry genre. Traditionally, Berni is said to have been poisoned at the order of Alessandro de Medici, patriarch of the Medici family and Duke of Florence.