Giovanni Battista Guarini

Giovanni Battista Guarini
Portrait of Giovanni Battista Guarini by Demautort
Born(1538-12-10)December 10, 1538
Ferrara, Duchy of Ferrara
DiedOctober 7, 1612(1612-10-07) (aged 73)
Venice, Republic of Venice
OccupationPlaywright, writer, poet, diplomat
LanguageItalian
NationalityItalian
PeriodRenaissance
GenreTragicomedy
SubjectPastoral
Literary movementRenaissance literature
Notable worksIl pastor fido
ParentsFrancesco Guarini and Orsina Guarini (née Macchiavelli)

Giovanni Battista Guarini (10 December 1538 – 7 October 1612) was an Italian poet, dramatist, and diplomat. Courtier at Ferrara, diplomat and secretary to several ruling families, he served also at Florence and Urbino. He is best known as the author of the pastoral tragicomedy Il pastor fido. Written in emulation of Tasso's Aminta, it was extremely successful and remained one of the most popular work of secular literature in Western Europe for almost two hundred years.