Traditionally regarded as a writer as prosaic as he was prolific, the literary reputation of the Bolognese, Giovanni Sabadino degli Arienti (died 1510), the author of Le Porretane and some twelve other works, has recently been undergoing re-examination.The present study examines Arienti’s literary production in the light of his biography, as revealed in his over two hundred surviving letters (24 of which are published in an appendix).