Petrarch in English

by Francesco Petrarca

Franceso Petrarch (1304-1374), creator of the sonnet form, remained for more than three hundred years the most influential poet in Europe, his works more widely read than even those of Dante. This collection contains English language versions of his poems from across six centuries, in a wide variety of translations and reinterpretations. Spanning the "Trionfi" series and the "Canzoniere" - Petrarch's empassioned sonnet-sequence concerning his beloved Laura - it also includes great English poems influenced by Petrarch. From Chaucer's early adaptation of a Petrarchan sonnet in "Troilus" and "Criseyde" to the sixteenth century translations by the Earl of Surrey, Byron's mocking consideration of the Canzoniere in "Don Juan" and Ezra Pound's parody "Silet", all provide a unique insight into the significance of the founder of the European lyric tradition.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Italy, Italian Literature, 14th Century

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2005

About the author

Famous Italian poet, scholar, and humanist Francesco Petrarca, known in English as Petrarch, collected love lyrics in Canzoniere .

People often call Petrarch the earliest Renaissance "father of humanism". Based on Petrarch's works, and to a lesser extent those of Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio, Pietro Bembo in the 16th century created the model for the modern Italian language, which the Accademia della Crusca later endorsed. People credit Petrarch with developing the sonnet. They admired and imitated his sonnets, a model for lyrical poems throughout Europe during the Renaissance. Petrarch called the Middle Ages the Dark Ages.

Reviews

[David Withun · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am new to Petrarch, but his poems about love, loss, god, and the transience of life are very moving and beautiful. I love the more modern translations.