Hackett Publishing

“Petrarch fashioned so many different versions of himself for posterity that it is an exacting task to establish where one might start to explore. . . . Hainsworth’s study meets this problem through examples of what Petrarch wrote, and does so decisively and succinctly.
   “. . . [A] careful and unpretentious book, penetrating in its organization and treatment of its subject, gentle in its guidance of the reader, nimble and dexterous in its scholarly infrastructure—and no less profound for those qualities of lightness.
   “The translations themselves are a delight, and are clearly the result of profound meditation and extensive experiment. . . . The Introduction and the notes to each work form a clear plexus of support for the reader, with a host of deft cross-references.”
     —Richard Mackenny, Binghamton University, State University of New York

“Hainsworth’s translations from the Italian are first-rate, both in terms of accuracy to the intent of the originals . . . and in terms of conveying the force of Petrarch’s imagery. The translations from the Latin read freshly and easily . . . they are sure-footed, managing to capture the mix of pride and playfulness which characterizes Petrarch’s composite prose style.
   “The notes to the individual poems are well-judged, just enough to keep the reader on track without parading off-putting erudition.”
     —Jonathan Usher, Emeritus, University of Edinburgh

“A judicious selection of the varied writings of the great humanist, translated from both Latin and Italian. The Introduction is admirably structured, clear, and coherent, and presents Petrarch to the reader without didacticism or oversimplification. Hainsworth has a light editorial touch. . . .
   “All in all, a luminous portrait of the ‘father of humanism’.”
     —David Marsh, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Peter Hainsworth is Emeritus Fellow and Professor of Italian, Oxford University.

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CONTENTS:

Preface
Introduction
   1. Petrarch’s Life and Career
   2. The Canzoniere
   3. The Triumphs
   4. The Secretum
   5. The Letters
   6. Translating Petrarch
Editions Used and Further Reading

Poems from the Canzoniere
   Part I
   Part II

The Triumph of Eternity

Secretum, Book 3

Letters
   1. To Giacomo Colonna (Familiares 2.9)
   2. To Giacomo Colonna (Verse Letters 1.6)
   3. To Dionigi da Borgo San Sepolcro (Familiares 4.1)
   4. To Giovanni Boccaccio (Seniles 5.2)
   5. To Posterity

Index of Italian First Lines of Poems from the Canzoniere
Index of English First Lines of Poems from the Canzoniere
 

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To view samples from the text, please click on the links below.

  • Poem 159 from the Canzoniere, Part I  (PDF, 25 KB)
  • Poem 279 from the Canzoniere, Part II  (PDF, 82 KB)
  • Selection from the letter To Posterity  (PDF, 78 KB)
  • Selection from the Secretum  (PDF, 33 KB)