Customer Reviews

Poems and Selected Letters (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Veronica's work is much too hard to find, but this book made the search worth while. As with well reproduced Italian poetry, being able to read it both as it was written and in English is pleasure. We can all relate to some of the things she writes regarding missing home and affairs of the heart, especially the pain we suffer when we are parted from these two things. The translation was superb to the point of finding it hard to believe the words were penned four centuries ago.

Veronica Franco was one of the foremost poets of her time--her time being the 1600s--and her place being Venice. It is amazing that it has taken this long for a volume of her poetry and prose to make it into English. Witty, erotic, playful, sophisticated: such is her poetry, by and large. The woman had a wicked tongue and a busy pen. This volume is a must for anyone interested in the history of literary women.

Though some of the letters included in this book are quite hard to get through without having a coffee break, the poems are absolutely fascinating. They are filled with passion and mystery. The majority of poems to or from lovers of Veronica Franco in this book are unknown, which leaves the beauty of being able to make up your own mind. This title doesn't focus so much on her life so if your after history of Veronica then another title might be more suitable. Otherwise this is well worth the buy.

Veronica Franco had an unbelieveable ability to write-beautifully translated and expressed in Poems and Selected Letters (Other Voice in Early Modern Europe). Margaret F. Rosenthal put this book together with careful thinking, allowing it's readers to skip to different poems and letters easily. I am not reviewing Ms. Rosenthal as much as I am Veronica Franco in her writing. The poetry is revolved around her daily events, none out of the ordinary. My particular favorite being Capitulo 13-A Challenge To A Lover Who Has Offended Her. Excellent for those interested in this portion of history, a Courtesan's life, and one who loves poetry. Very beautiful! I rated it 4 out of 5 stars-it only lacks the one star because it take a working brain to relate the poetry to what it actually means. But once done, it is well worth the time. :)

Veronica Franco is a woman whose thoughts and deeds have escaped the destruction of vicious men and time. Circumstances led her to lead the life of a courtesan, and her great brain and great body allowed her to see clearly and live well in an era when almost all women, rich and poor, were the chattel of men. Franco's poetry and her letters survive to shed light on a society was leading the Renaissance although it still had many characteristics in common with today's Taliban. Franco is a quiet heroine who was not afraid of her ideas and not ashamed of her sex or of sex. A great lady!

Rosenthal helps the reader bring Veronica Franco, a woman courtesan (a "high society" prostitute)and poet, of the 1500's to life through her poetry. The current movie, "Dangerous Beauty" with Katherine McCormick, is a hollywood version of Veronia Franco's life. The introduction of the book is a brief but interesting and is an important part of understanding the poetry. Rosenthal gives you many details and interesting facts behind the the poetry. She also provides the reader with an understanding of life in Venice in the 1500's, often important in interpreting the poetry. Unfortunatly, Rosenthal's writing style is cold and heavy reading. It reminds me of graduate school texts. Fortunatly the subject matter kept my interest. Franco was an amazing person and is well represented in her poetry and by Rosenthal words.

I had wanted to get my hands on a book of Veronica Franco's poetry ever since I read THE HONEST COURTESAN. When I discovered that this was available, I snapped it up in a heartbeat. The poetry itself is a decadent pleasure, much like eating cheesecake in a bubble bath, but what makes it even better is the layout. One page has the poem in the original Italian, with the translation on the page opposite. This makes it very easy to compare and study them. The writings provide an interesting look into the mind and personality of the woman who inspired DANGEROUS BEAUTY.

I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in poetry, 16th century Venice, or just wants a fun book to pass back and forth with friends while waiting for the feast to be served.

Indeed, you can't but love this title and 16th century woman and verse found here. Especially if you are a poet at heart. Or if you love attractive women who take beauty and brains to a place of spirituality and power.

The editor and compiler, Ann Rosalind Jones, brings back the old Veronica Franco poems and letters from centuries past, gives them a great context. Indeed see the 1998 movie too, Dangerous Beauty by director Marshall Herskovitz and writers Margaret Rosenthal and Jeannine Dominywhich staring Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell and Oliver Platt. I must confess the movie inspired me to buy this book. But I remain a great lover of erotic verse from all the centuries.

In my short life I've been fortunate to get to know academically a couple retired courtesans, sex workers and educators who now write and teach. I so love their minds and wisdom, ever as much as the many men and women who loved their hearts and bodies... and paid a lot more than I did to get value from these women of the evening. They remain for me priestesses of a world that will always be somehow divine. I'd love to have had coffee and hung out with this beauty!

So, a wonderful book to add to your poetry shelf. This quote alone will make you fall in love with a woman born perhaps too soon.

"When we too are armed and trained, we can convince men that we have hands, feet, and a heart like yours; and although we may be delicate and soft, some men who are delicate are also strong; and others, coarse and harsh, are cowards. Women have not yet realized this, for if they should decide to do so, they would be able to fight you until death; and to prove that I speak the truth, amongst so many women, I will be the first to act, setting an example for them to follow."
--Veronica Franco

The book is romantic and charming. I enjoyed it because it was written by a prostitute and she explained her life as a human being. Whereas most books treat prostitutes as abtract objects being studied by an out of touch intellectual. I was delighted at the content and found it to be enjoyable reading. However, the interpretation of the poetry to English forces it to loose its rhyme and the poems seem weak on depth. If you are reading it for quality poetry, you would be best off reading other classics. The poems simply give a window into this facisnating woman's life. They are not artfully written poems, they are just amazing because they were written in a time period when women were not supposed to be educated.

It's like a very good college textbook. But it isn't boring