Christopher Columbus

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The name of Christopher Columbus is irrevocably associated with the discovery of America in 1492. All elements of that statement have been contested and all elements will benefit from elaboration, yet the fundamental point remains that Columbus introduced to Europe a continent previously unknown to it, an event often seen as foundational for such far-reaching phenomena as modernity, capitalism, or globalization. We are certainly still living with the consequences of that event and are therefore in some sense, whether we like it or not, the heirs of Columbus.

Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in a town in the Republic of Genoa to a family which worked in the wool trade. His parents were Domenico Colombo and Susanna …

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Citation: Hulme, Peter. "Christopher Columbus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 October 2006; last revised 27 September 2018. [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4867, accessed 28 March 2024.]

4867 Christopher Columbus 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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