Petrarch’s Lyric Poems: The Rime Sparse and Other Lyrics (Paperback)

~ Francesco Petrarch (Author), Robert M. Durling (Translator)
Key Phrases: rime sparse, miei danni, mio danno, Poems Excluded, Appendix One, Cardinal Giovanni Colonna (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The translations are extremely readable, and their juxtaposition to the original makes the work a valuable tool for the reader whose knowledge of Italian may be less than perfect.
--Joseph A. Barber, MLN

Review

The translations are extremely readable, and their juxtaposition to the original makes the work a valuable tool for the reader whose knowledge of Italian may be less than perfect.
--Joseph A. Barber, MLN --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (May 15, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674663489
• ISBN-13: 978-0674663480
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,783 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #86 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Italian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captures Petrach's fragmented soul, April 5, 2002

By	chris (Notre Dame, IN) - See all my reviews

Durling, one of this generations greatest scholars in Italian lyric poetry, captures the essence of Petrarch's fragmented soul as none other has yet been able to in an english translation. The text includes facing page Italian (so it is excellent for students of the Langauge) and Durling has done everything possible to preserve the lyric beauty of Petrarch's verse.

Yet one must remeber that this is not a critical edition. Durlings commentary (if one can call it that) leaves much to be desired. Suprising also is the fact that Durling completely ignores the division in two parts (traditionally called "in life", 1-263 and "in death" 264-366. Petrarch clearly intended there to be a division, leaving blank pages in the Vatican manuscript, Vat. Lat. 3195. For those who desire a critical edition I would recomend Marco Santagata's 1996 edition (Mondadori), however it is entirely in Italian.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Captures Petrach's fragmented soul, April 6, 2002

By	chris (Notre Dame, IN) - See all my reviews

Durling, one of this generations greatest scholars in Italian lyric poetry, captures the essence of Petrarch's fragmented soul as none other has yet been able to in an english translation. The text includes facing page Italian (so it is excellent for students of the Langauge) and Durling has done everything possible to preserve the lyric beauty of Petrarch's verse.

Yet one must remeber that this is not a critical edition. Durlings commentary (if one can call it that) leaves much to be desired. Suprising also is the fact that Durling completely ignores the division in two parts (traditionally called "in life", 1-263 and "in death" 264-366. Petrarch clearly intended there to be a division, leaving blank pages in the Vatican manuscript, Vat. Lat. 3195. For those who desire a critical edition I would recomend Marco Santagata's 1996 edition (Mondadori), however it is entirely in Italian.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Voi ch'ascoltate, April 5, 2002

By	Chris Nygren (Notre Dame, IN) - See all my reviews

Durling, one of this generations greatest scholars in Italian lyric poetry, captures the essence of Petrarch's fragmented soul as none other has yet been able to in an english translation. The text includes facing page Italian (so it is excellent for students of the Langauge) and Durling has done everything possible to preserve the lyric beauty of Petrarch's verse.

Yet one must remeber that this is not a critical edition. Durlings commentary (if one can call it that) leaves much to be desired. Suprising also is the fact that Durling completely ignores the division in two parts (traditionally called "in life", 1-263 and "in death" 264-366. Petrarch clearly intended there to be a division, leaving blank pages in the Vatican manuscript, Vat. Lat. 3195. For those who desire a critical edition I would recomend Marco Santagata's 1996 edition (Mondadori), however it is entirely in Italian.