Italian literature is all literature written in Italian and can also refer to works written by Italians in other languages spoken in Italy. Literary works in the Italian language appear from the 13th century. Prior to that, literature was written mainly in Latin, mostly because of its practical nature, and came from the churchmen and their students. The iconic names of Italian literature are the Tuscan writers of the 13th century, Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio, who lay the foundations of the Italian literary language.
It has an important place in European culture, even though it was formed somewhat later than the French. In the beginning, it was under Provencal influence therefore we can see many mixtures of French base and motifs with elements of northern Italian dialects. Finally, it remains to be summed up that Italian literature didn't have a particularly privileged position, as could be the case for some other European literature (especially English, for example). But despite not developing a systematic approach to Italian literature, Italian writers regularly informed the readers about the literary reality, thus playing an important role in maintaining contacts with this Romanesque world and its cultural heritage.
Below you'll find a list of book summaries from authors that influenced Italian literature and left their mark in the writing world.
Gianni Rodari
Giovanni Francesco "Gianni" Rodari was an Italian writer. Most of the people consider him to be the most important children's author in Italy.
Giovanni Boccaccio
An Italian author who wrote during Renaissance. The plague was his inspiration for his work The Decameron which made him famous worldwide.
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