Philippe Desportes was born in 1546 in Chartres in a family of affluent merchants. He received a good education and learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He quickly began a brilliant diplomatic career in 1562, when he became the secretary to the Bishop of Puy and accompanied him to Rome. It is there that he started a life-long, intimate relationship with Italian poetry by reading and translating the popular anthologies and single-authored works that circulated in print, thereby familiarizing himself with their wide-ranging images, metaphors, concepts, and poetic language. Upon his return to Paris, Desportes quickly became a regular presence at the court of King Charles IX of Valois, and gravitated toward the eccentric Duc d’Anjou, the King’s brother and future King Henri III. It will be…
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Citation: Scarlatta, Gabriella. "Philippe Desportes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 July 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14114, accessed 27 April 2024.]
