Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli

Born Sept. 7, 1791, in Rome; died there on Dec. 21, 1863. Italian poet.

Belli’s principal work is his Roman Sonnets (published posthumously, 1886–89), a poetic cycle consisting of 2,000 sonnets in the Roman dialect. It was his intention that they should be a “monument to the simple people of Rome.” Written from the point of view of the common people, the sonnets are permeated with hatred for the clergy and corrupt judges, scorn for the upper classes, and respect for poor workers. N. V. Gogol called Belli a genuine people’s poet. Belli also wrote love lyrics and poems of a religious character after the Revolution of 1848–49.