Toynbee "Bonagiunta"
Bonagiunta Orbicciani degli Overardi, son of Perfetto di Orbicciano of Lucca; notary and poet of the latter half of cent. xiii. The earliest extant document testifying to his activity as a notary is dated Nov. 14-15, 1242, and indicated that his father, Perfetto, was still living; other documents bear the dates, 1243, 1250, and 1257 (cf. P. Guidi, art. cit.). The date of his death is not known. [SeeM.em> F. P. Luiso, 'Per la biografia di Bonagiunta Orbicciani da Lucca', Arch. stor. ital. viii(1927),37-59; P. Guidi, 'Ancora per la biografia di Bonagiunta Orbicciani da Lucca', Boll. stor. lucchese, (1929), 31-40.]

A considerable number of his poems has been preserved; they show little originality of either thought or expression, and are imitated for the most part from Provençal models. [See his work in Rimatori siculi-toscani del Duecento (Bari, 1915), pp.49-94; or in G. Contini, Poeti del Duecento (Milano-Napoli, 1960), I, pp. 257-282 ]

D. places B. among the Gluttonous in Circle VI of Purgatory, [Purg. xxiv. 19], [Purg. xxiv. 20]; questi, [Purg. xxiv. 19]; lui, [Purg. xxiv. 21]; quel da Lucca, [Purg. xxiv. 35]; el, [Purg. xxiv. 37], [Purg. xxiv. 38], [Purg. xxiv. 44]; lui, [Purg. xxiv. 52] [Golosi]; B., who is pointed out to D. by Forese Donati ([Purg. xxiv. 19-20]), shows a desire to speak to the former, and mutters something about 'Gentucca', which D. Overhears ([Purg. xxiv. 34-39]); being invited by D. to speak, he foretells that a certain lady, still a girl at the time, will show him hospitality in Lucca ([Purg. xxiv. 40-48]) [Gentucca]; he then asks D. if he is the author of the 'new rhymes' beginning 'Donne ch'avete intelletto d'amore' (being the first cansone in the V.N., xix. 4) ([Purg. xxiv. 49-51]), D. replies that he writes as Love dictates ([Purg. xxiv. 52-54]); B. acknowledges in this the secret of the 'dolce stil novo', and of D.'s superiority over Jacomo da Lentino, Guittone d'Arezzo, and himself; he then relapses into silence and D. moves on ([Purg. xxiv. 55-63]). [Guittone: Iacomo da Lentino.]

D. blames Bonagiunta, together with Guittone d'Arezzo, Brunetto Latini, and other Tuscan poets, for having written in their local dialects, to the exclusion of the 'curial vulgar tongue', V.E. I. xiii. 1.

Benvenuto says that Bonagiunta was more addicted to wine than to versifying, but was a facile writer, and addressed some of his poems to D., who had been acquainted with him:

. iste fuit Bonagiunta de Urbisanis, vir honorabilis, de civitate lucana, luculentus orator in lingua materna et facilis inventor rhythmorum sed facilior vinorum, qui noverat autorem in vita, et aliquando scripserat sibi. Ideo autor fingit eum ita familiariter loqui secum de ipso et de aliis inventoribus modernis.

©Oxford University Press 1968. From A Dictionary of Proper Names and Notable Matters in the Works of Dante by Paget Toynbee (1968) by permission of Oxford University Press