ANN ARBOR—Gregory L. Lucente, professor of Italian and comparative literature at the University of Michigan, died in an auto accident June 26. He was 49.

An Illinois native, Lucente graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1970, a master’s from Middlebury College in 1973 and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1979.

Before joining the U-M in 1988, Lucente taught Italian at Loyola University and The Johns Hopkins University. A 1984 recipient of a Fulbright Senior Scholars Program Research Fellowship, Lucente also served as chair of various conventions and sessions dealing with Italian literature as well as directing the U-M/University of Wisconsin Spring Program in Florence and organizing several conferences and symposia held at the U-M.

“Faculty and students of Romance languages and comparative literature are stunned and saddened by Prof. Lucente’s death,” said Prof. William Paulson, former chair of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. “Prof. Lucente was a leading scholar of modern Italian and comparative literature and the author of major works on modern fiction and cultural theory.”

His latest book, “Crosspaths: Essays in Italian and American Criticism and Theory,” is about to appear from Stanford University Press. Last year he published his first novel, “Over the Mountain.”

Among his professional interests were Provencal and Italian lyric poetry of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, 19th- and 20th-century Italian poetry, the development of the Italian novel (18th-20th centuries) and contemporary American and Italian cinema.

“As head of the Italian section in the Department of Romance Languages, Prof. Lucente was responsible for developing a superb program that combines language instruction with a serious understanding of Italian culture,” said Chair Jose Rabasa.

“Over the years, Professor Lucente showed a commitment to the comparative studies in Romance languages and literatures without which the department would not have its current reputation for excellence in teaching and research.”

Survivors include his wife, M. Gloria Lauri-Lucente; his parents; and two brothers.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Lucente Fund, Program in Comparative Literature, or Lucente Fund, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, both at the U-M.