GRAZZINI, ANTONIO FRANCESCO (1503-1583), Italian author, was born at Florence on March 22, 1503. In 1540 he was one of the founders of the Academy of the Humid (degli Umidi) afterwards called "della Fiorentina," and in i 582 founded, with L. Salviati, the Accademia della Crusca. In both societies he was known as Il Lasca or Leuciscus. He died on Feb. 18, 1583. 11 Lasca ranks as one of the great masters of Tuscan prose. His principal works are Le Cene (1756 mod. ed. by Verzone, 189o), a collection of stories in the manner of Boccaccio, and a number of prose comedies (mod. ed., 1859), La Gelosia, La Spiritata, I Parentadi, La Arenga, La Sibilla, La Pinzochera, L'Arzigogolo. These comedies were written in reaction against the classical Italian manner, but in fact Grazzini went for his subjects to the same sources as his opponents.
He also edited the works of Berni. In 1868 Adamo Rossi published in his Ricerche per le biblioteche di Perugia three "novelle" by Grazzini, from a MS. of the 16th century in the "Comunale" of Perugia. See G. Gentile, Delle comedie di A. F. Grazzini (1896) .