Life of Dante (Hesperus Classics) [Paperback]

Giovanni Boccaccio (Author), A. N. Wilson (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Hesperus Classics | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Life of Dante is a fascinating and hugely important literary work both in terms of the revelations it provides into the lives and thoughts of two great Italian men, and also as an early example of biography. Boccaccio was a fervent admirer of Dante, and as such, he embarked upon writing this short piece as a vindication of the merits of his illustrious fellow-citizen. Yet far from being simply an account of the misfortunes that befell the great Florentine exile, the resulting Life of Dante also gives precious insight into Boccaccio's own ideas on a wide variety of issues including poetry, literature, women, and society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It is a book that reveals the lives of two great Florentines, not one. James Eve -- The Times

They don’t write biographies like this any more, unfortunately: extremely short, poetic and funny, and quite wonderfully unconcerned with trivia. -- The Guardian

From the Publisher

Hesperus Press, as suggested by their Latin motto, Et remotissima prope, is dedicated to bringing near what is far—far both in space and time. Works by illustrious authors, often unjustly neglected or simply little known in the English–speaking world, are made accessible through a completely fresh editorial approach or new translations. Through these short classic works, which feature forewords by leading contemporary authors, the modern reader will be introduced to the greatest writers of Europe and America. An elegantly designed series of exceptional books.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 91 pages
• Publisher: Hesperus Press (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843910063
• ISBN-13: 978-1843910060
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When a son of Florence writes about another son of Florence, April 20, 2005

By 

Aria Murasaka "a world traveler" (http://muses-garden.blogspot.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life of Dante (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)

"The Life of Dante", by Giovanni Boccaccio, is aptly described in the introduction by J.G. Nichols, at the beginning of this edition, as the "first modern literary biography", which is true, to some extent. Yet, in a time when a string of biographies written on more or less famous people seems to have, as only purpose, the crude expositions of mildly interesting (if at all) juicy tidbits, and this usually in a poor prose, this book, written in the 14th century by the author of the "Decameron", is at the same time light-hearted, poetic and informative. It gives us not only an insight into Dante's life, work and personality, but also into that of Boccaccio (and his infamous aversion to marriage, at least to that of the 'philosophers') and into the Florence both knew.

But most important and touching I think is the honest love for Dante's works and admiration for the man that are on display in every page, even when Boccaccio addresses Dante's faults. And of course, the style of the Florentine, one of the great writers behind the foundation of the Italian literature, only adds to the interest of this biography. A very refreshing reading, and a must for those of you who are at least curious about one of the major masterpieces of European literature and the man behind it.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One literary master on another, September 22, 2004

By 

W. Chamberlain - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life of Dante (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)

Invaluable to anyone interested in Italian literature, Dante or Boccaccio. Boccaccio, of course was a great admirer of Dante's, wrote a commentary on the Divine Comedy and was greatly influenced by him. Writing at a time when Dante was not given the respect he has since (surely inevitably) gained, Boccaccio wrote this biography of him, pointing out his great merits as a person, poet, and political figure. It's fascinating to see the results, with insights on every page into both Dante, Boccaccio, and also Florentine society of the time. There are wonderful stories about Dante to illustrate his peculiarities as a man - I particularly enjoyed the story of him vandalising a workman's tools for misquoting the Comedy. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting for multiple reasons, May 25, 2007

By 

Russell T. Warne - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life of Dante (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)

This book probably couldn't be labeled as overly entertaining, but it is very interesting. For one thing, it's the very first biography of Dante. Even more importantly, it's written by Giovanni Boccaccio, one of the great luminaries of Italian literature. As far as I know, no other biography written by one literary genius about another exists.

I was pleased to find a lot of material and anecdotes in it that I had also found in modern biographies. I also enjoyed reading firsthand the adoration that Dante's people poured upon him so soon after "The Divine Comedy" was written.

There are a few things in the book that might surprise modern readers. The supposed unhappiness of Dante's marriage is talked about for quite some time, despite Boccaccio acknowledging that he has no evidence of marital troubles besides his (Boccaccio's) own personal misogyny. Also, medieval literary theory and Boccaccio's opinions on literature sidetrack the narrative a bit, but that is simply how biographies were written at the time.

The only thing I don't like and can't explain is why the publishers included a story from "The Decameron" at the end of the book. The tale isn't about Dante and does not add to the biography.