Written by one of the greatest poets of all time, My Secret Book, now in its first English translation, is a profound and deeply personal account of inner suffering and mental anguish. Deeply troubled by his struggle—and failure—to achieve spiritual perfection, Petrarch, considered the forefather of Italian humanism, sought catharsis in the writing of a “secret book.” Only here could he pour out his innermost thoughts, frustrations, and desires. Written in the form of a dialogue between himself and St. Augustine, the book wrestles with the universal themes of suffering, desire, fear, and joy. The result is a rare insight into Petrarch’s life and thought and a remarkable early example of self-revelation and autobiography.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
'J. G. Nichols renders Petrarch's lively Latin well. In his translation's crisp, readable English, the dialogue between Petrarch and Augustine reads as a vigorous and heartfelt discussion' - TLS
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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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intimate to say the least,
This review is from: My Secret Book (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
Petrarch's Secret book is so intimate that it makes you want to blush. As a conversation between the author and Saint Augustine relating to religion, humanity and art, it is an immense success. Just as Dante had Virgil, Petrarch had Saint Augustine and this is a good thing. Petrarch's insight into his own weaknesses and those of society are enlightening. In addition, the book is short and fast- easy reading to delve into the human soul.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Petrarch the philosopher,
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This review is from: My Secret Book (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
Petrarch is considered one of the first modern poets with his use of Italian to write his hundreds of poems to his life-long (albeit unrequited) love, Laura, which are now known as the "Canzoniere" (short-songs).
But this book is actually an interesting and short peek into the mind of the man and his approach to dealing with the questions and demons that many clerics had in living a life dedicated to the church, but also having dealing with issues of the flesh. The book is a series of apocryphal conversations between Petrarch and St. Augusine which most certainly went on in Petrarchs head for most of his life, before and after he wrote his "secret book" which was not published in his time. The "conversations" are really some interesting observations of contemporary life in Italy including society, human nature, popular opinion and a raft of other issues that have been the subject of millions of books since man learned to write. many of the issues and observations of this book written nearly 700 years ago are as much in debate and discussion today. if you are looking for a short little book that goes long into some deep insights about man and mankind, you can do worse than spend a couple hours reading this.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I thought,
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This review is from: My Secret Book (Hesperus Classics) (Paperback)
I enjoyed the flowing translation of Petrarch's book, but I could not help being a bit disappointed; it is my fault, though, and nobody else's. Having read somewhere that Petrarch was blaming himself for loving Latin classics more than Scriptures and the Church Fathers, I thought that his book had a theological and spiritual overtone and was looking forward reading about the inner struggle between the secular and the spiritual dimensions of Petrarch's life (exemplified by "Narcissus and Goldmund" by Hermann Hesse). I was wrong: the book focuses mostly on psychological and ethical issues. Positing Saint Augustine as his interlocutor and super-ego, Petrarch engages in a honest and relentless self-exam. Augustine blames him for the following things:
1) Acedia, though it may be easily concluded that "depression" is probably the correct clinical diagnosis for the "blues" he suffered from. 2) Not thinking deep and long enough about his mortality and the fleeting character of all earthly goods. 3) Loving Laura more and above their Creator. 4) Spinning a web of self-deception. Petrarch ends his book by declaring himself defeated by Augustine's arguments.
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