Giovanni Pascoli (December 31, 1855—April 6, 1912) was an Italian poet and classical scholar.

He had a tragic childhood with the murder of his father and the early deaths of his mother, sister and two brothers. His first work, Myracae (1891), reflects his morbid childhood.

He studied at the University of Bologna, and his teacher and mentor was Giosue Carducci. When Carducci retired, Pascoli replaced him as the recipient of the Literature Chair.

His earlier poems are relatively simplistic, and focus particularly on domestic life and nature. His later poems shared similar themes but were more experimental, and reflected his knowledge of classical antiquity. They were a great influence on later Italian poets, who incorporated his melancholy themes into their own works. He wrote in both Italian and Latin; he also translated English poetry.

Works

• Myracae (1891)
• Canti di Castelvecchio (1903)
• Primi poemetti (1904)
• Odi e inni (1906)
• Poemi del Risorgimento (1913)