Jacopo da Lentini

Jacopo da Lentini, also known as Giacomo da Lentini or Il Notaro, was a prominent figure in the literary landscape of 13th-century Italy. As a senior poet of the Sicilian School, he played a crucial role in the evolution of Italian poetry while serving as a notary at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.

Renowned for his innovative spirit, Jacopo is credited with the invention of the sonnet, a poetic form that has since become a cornerstone of literary expression. His original works were composed in literary Sicilian, although they have survived primarily in the Tuscan dialect.

While some scholars suggest that his exploration of courtly love was influenced by the Provençal troubadours, others, like William Baer, highlight the unique characteristics of his work. Baer notes that the first eight lines of the earliest Sicilian sonnets, following the ABABABAB rhyme scheme, closely resemble the Strambotto, a traditional Sicilian folksong stanza. This suggests that Jacopo, or the innovator of the form, expanded upon the Strambotto by adding two tercets to create the fourteen-line sonnet.

In addition to his poetic contributions, Jacopo was known for his collaborative spirit, frequently engaging with fellow poets. He circulated his works in manuscript form and provided commentary on the poetry of others. One of his notable correspondents was Pier della Vigna, with whom he exchanged sonnets in a tenzone, a poetic dialogue where one poet responds to another's work.