Giona oltre Colombano: vita e contesto di un biografo

This article analyzes the literary persona of Jonas of Susa (or Jonas of Bobbio), author of the Vita of Columbanus, and his first disciples. Already before his death, Jonas was renowned as an eminent hagiographer. He acquired his fame not only in view of the importance of the saint whose story he had told, but also because of the literary characteristics of his work: its complex structure, the monumental and stylistically refined prologue, the frequent presence of the writer in the narrative. These features, together with what we know about Jonas’ life (mostly told by himself), suggest that he was a man of considerable social prominence; a correct interpretation of the scope and meaning of his Vita Columbani, therefore, must also take into account these elements.