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The Decameron Hardcover – September 16, 2013

by Giovanni Boccaccio (Author), Wayne A. Rebhorn (Translator)

27 customer reviews

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"Celebrated in the Renaissance as the foremost stylist of Italian prose, Boccaccio has seldom met his match in English translation...Wayne Rebhorn’s fluid and dynamic rendition hits the mark on every page." ―William J. Kennedy, Cornell University

The year is 1348. The Black Death has begun to ravage Europe. Ten young Florentines―seven women and three men―escape the plague-infested city and retreat to the countryside around Fiesole. At their leisure in this isolated and bucolic setting, they spend ten days telling each other stories―tales of romance, tragedy, comedy, and farce―one hundred in all. The result, called by one critic "the greatest short story collection of all time" (Leonard Barkan, Princeton University) is a rich and entertaining celebration of the medley of medieval life.

Witty, earthy, and filled with bawdy irreverence, the one hundred stories of The Decameron offer more than simple escapism; they are also a life-affirming balm for trying times. The Decameron is a joyously comic book that has earned its place in world literature not just because it makes us laugh, but more importantly because it shows us how essential laughter is to the human condition.

Published on the 700th anniversary of Boccaccio’s birth, Wayne A. Rebhorn's new translation of The Decameron introduces a generation of readers to this "rich late-medieval feast" in a "lively, contemporary, American-inflected English" (Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard University) even as it retains the distinctly medieval flavor of Boccaccio's rhetorically expressive prose.

An extensive introduction provides useful details about Boccaccio's historical and cultural milieu, the themes and particularities of the text, and the lines of influence flowing into and out of this towering monument of world literature.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In time for Giovanni Boccaccio's 700th birthday, Wayne A. Rebhorn, professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin and translator of The Prince and Other Writings by Machiavelli, has provided a strikingly modern translation of Boccaccio's medieval Italian classic. Fleeing Florence and the plague of 1348, 10 young men and women retreat to a country estate, surrounded by meadows and marvelous gardens, where they spend their days in leisure while the Black Death ravages the city. To fill their time, and affirm life in the face of death, they tell stories: on each of 10 days, every character spins a tale on a theme. Thus, there are 100 stories in total, which range in tone from tragic to triumphant and from pious to bawdy, and which serve as monuments to the rich medieval life and society that the plague was to fundamentally alter. Rebhorn's translation is eminently readable and devoid of the stilted, antiquated speech associated with the classics. Indeed, at times the translator's rendering of Boccaccio's Italian into contemporary idiomatic American English feels jarring: my cheesy-weesy, sweet honeybun of a wife. But on the whole, his translation's accessibility allows for the timeless humanity of the work to shine through. The Decameron affords a fascinating view into the lost world of late-medieval Italy, and the variety and volume of tales offers us a refuge and relief from the tragedies that haunt our own world. (Sept.)

Review

“The Decameron, an inexhaustibly rich late-medieval feast of narrative cunning, bawdy humor, and sly wit, is a celebration of the sheer pleasure of being alive…With gusto and energy, Wayne Rebhorn has risen to the daunting task of translating this great work into lively, contemporary, American-inflected English.”
- Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard University, author of The Swerve

“Wayne A. Rebhorn deserves our gratitude for an eminently persuasive translation of Boccaccio’s collection of tales…I celebrate his accomplishment.”
- Edith Grossman, translator of Don Quixote

“A lively, readable translation of the greatest short story collection of all time. The laugh-out-loud quality of Boccaccio’s delicious vernacular is admirably preserved.”
- Leonard Barkan, Princeton University

“This superb, powerful, beautifully crafted, and indeed definitive translation of The Decameron introduces readers anew to the sparkling and colorful writing of a pre-Renaissance Italian master.”
- Valeria Finucci, Duke University

“Ser Cepparello, Andreuccio, and Calandrino have never come across so well in English―Wayne Rebhorn’s vibrant new translation makes Boccaccio’s scoundrels and victims alike come back to life.”
- Jane Tylus, New York University

“A thoughtful piece of work… . This is the version [of The Decameron] I would recommend.”
- Joan Acocella, The New Yorker

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Hardcover: 1024 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Revised ed. edition (September 16, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780393069303
ISBN-13: 978-0393069303
ASIN: 0393069303
Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 27 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #953,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3222 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Classics
- #23835 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics
- #50689 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

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Why swink so when you can read this one?

December 25, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This review is of Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron, translated by Wayne Rebhorn, in case Amazon decides to blend it with reviews of the Beatles' White Album. I have read this in at least two translations, the other being the semi-bizarre Payne translation, which features a Victorian Englishman's notion of what 14th century Tuscan translated to 14th century (Chaucerian) English would be like. The Payne translation requires one to swink a bit more, but it has its odd charms. This translation by Rebhorn is more smoothly delightful. Readers in the UK may find some of its Americanisms off-putting. I did not mind them. If forced to flee a burning building, if I could only take one translation of The Decameron with me, it would be this one.The Decameron

21 people found this helpful

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November 20, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

It's no surprise to say there is sexual content in the Decameron, but to say it is explicit overlooks the wonderfully clever circumlocutions relating to such subjects. But it's also revealing to be reminded that sexual urges long predate Miley Cyrus, yet can be set forth in oblique yet still unmistakable ways. The translation is, on the whole, excellent and very readable. Every now and then one is startled by the intrusion of some contemporary slang--obviously in an effort to convey what was idiomatic in the original. A wonderful adventure into the life of the 14th C.

5 people found this helpful

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This is much easier to read than the free public ...

April 17, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is much easier to read than the free public domain translation that is out there. If you were struggling with the archaic language and turns of phrase in that one, consider getting this translation, it is well worth it. The footnotes provided in this one are not excessive and appear only when additional context is actually needed.

2 people found this helpful

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Outstanding translation and editing

July 22, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Best editor I have found for these tales. All of editor's comments are elucidating and interesting. And they bring out a lot of Boccaccio's meanings and sources.

4 people found this helpful

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easy to read translation

May 24, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Clear , easy to read translation . The stories are witty , silly , profound and altogether fun .

One person found this helpful

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December 11, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very nice book. Easy to read and understand.

One person found this helpful

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Rebhorn has made an excellent and very documented work on bringing to us this ...

December 6, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

An exceptional book! Rebhorn has made an excellent and very documented work on bringing to us this compound of 14th century short stories

One person found this helpful

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Chris Fow Cohen

Read The Decameron — but consider a different translation

May 7, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The unabridged story collection is a must-read, but try out a few translations before you choose one.

This translation was touted for its modernity. I think that gets in the way. A friend and I are reading it together, and at times I prefer her translation to mine. The cadence of the stories is Old World, and sometimes the newfangled words jar me into realizing I'm reading a modern translation.

Also, if you find a translation that doesn't summarize the story at the beginning of the chapter, or one that doesn't tell you the ending, consider that a bonus. I don't need to know the ending before I even begin to read it.

11 people found this helpful

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