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“David Young’s version of Petrarch will refresh our images of the West’s crucial lyric poet. We are given a Petrarch in our own vernacular, with echoes of Wyatt, Shakespeare, and many who come after.” --Harold Bloom

Ineffable sweetness, bold, uncanny sweetness
that came to my eyes from her lovely face;
from that day on I'd willingly have closed them,
never to gaze again at lesser beauties.
--from Sonnet 116

Petrarch was born in Tuscany and grew up in the south of France. He lived his life in the service of the church, traveled widely, and during his lifetime was a revered, model man of letters.

Petrarch's greatest gift to posterity was his Rime in vita e morta di Madonna Laura, the cycle of poems popularly known as his songbook. By turns full of wit, languor, and fawning, endlessly inventive, in a tightly composed yet ornate form they record their speaker's unrequited obsession with the woman named Laura. In the centuries after it was designed, the "Petrarchan sonnet," as it would be known, inspired the greatest love poets of the English language-from the times of Spenser and Shakespeare to our own.

David Young's fresh, idiomatic version of Petrarch's poetry is the most readable and approachable that we have. In his skillful hands, Petrarch almost sounds like a poet out of our own tradition bringing the wheel of influence full circle.
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Customer Reviews (4)

A bore, a prototype
The only reason I bought Petrarch was that I was told by a professor that he founded the whole lovesick thing and invented the love sonnet.But this is a case of someone being famous for doing something first and not so much for doing it well.His poems are full of sick, but not of love; there is no feeling that translates into you as a reader, he just tells you how much he is in love and it stays academic and distant.Some of these poems are good but most I read and didn't absorb or feel effected by at all.I sold my copy and would recommend a library check out first- if you love him from sampling, then buy this, its a beautiful volume, good size and weight, well printed, it has every poem.

Petrarch's double motion of the soul crisply rendered
Dante was the hero of the great 20th century modernists: Pound, Eliot, Joyce, and Beckett. In describing the journey of a soul the great Italian poet created a coherent universe of beauty and meaning. Heirs to the French symbolists, the 20th century writers embraced the allegorical symbolism of The Divine Comedy with easy familiarity. The soul as envisioned by Dante was engaged in a journey of single motion: from the damnation of Original Sin to eventual Paradise through the office of Divine Love. As they lauded Dante they repudiated Petrarch, unable to discover a means to adequately value him. Petrarch is a poet of ambiguity. He writes about the heart's vagaries, the ambivalence of love, of life as process. Above all, he portrays the double motion of the soul, its coincident attraction to the earthly and the heavenly.

It is no surprise that Petrarch's most appreciative reader was Shakespeare who modeled his sonnets upon those written by the Italian master. The English playwright is equally ambiguous in his sonnets, unafraid to depict love as a learning process filled with frustration and failure. Petrarch spent 47 years rebuilding the labyrinth of his love for Laura, the unrequited object of his desire who died of the plague in 1348. The Laura Petrarch creates becomes, like Mary, an object of adoration.The cycle of poems popularly known as the songbook or Canzoniere contains 366 lyrics of beauty, subtlety and freshness. There are several good translations, each with their own special excellence. Mark Musa's translation of the complete lyrics is personal and poetic featuring the original Italian on facing pages. His imagery is the most muted amongst recent translations, the poetry down-to-earth and sensual. His annotations for each poem are copious and thoughtful, making them a helpful teaching tool.

Robert M. Durling created a facile and graceful prose translation of the lyrics that is literal and accurate, and filled with Petrarch's beautiful imagery. It conveys a superb understanding of the poetry, with the original Italian on facing pages making this experience of reading Petrarch probably the closest to the original.

David Young's translation has a freshness and beauty that is invigorating. Its immediacy of expression, its elegance and radiant imagery are quite contemporary in feeling, making the poet seem less remote and more understandable to a modern audience. Petrarch's musings as translated by Young have a concreteness that gives the lyrics the feel of skillfully rendered stream-of-consciousness verbal music. Its modernity is its greatest asset. Where the collection falls short is in the paucity of annotations and the complete lack of the original Italian lyrics. Other more complete translations are massive tomes. David Young's rendering is concise and easy on the arms. If all you need is Petrarch revisited in exquisite English verses this is the volume to get. If you need a more in-depth experience, either of the other translations will fill the bill.

Mike Birman

What a disappointment!
I was introduced to the poetry of Petrarch in a slim volume of selections from The Canzoniere, translated by Mark Musa. Beautiful, flowing, lyrical.When I saw this volume with the complete set, I bought. The difference in translations is like night and day!These are stiff, awkward, - more prose than poetry, with translations that appear to be by a medium level language student trying for an accurate word by word translation. After half a dozen tries to read them, I've given up at about verse 35.

Want beautiful Petrarch?Wait for the new Portable Petrarch with the complete set translated by Musa - due out sometime soon.

At Last -- The Definitive Petrarch Translation!
Anyone who has followed the poet David Young's brilliant translations of Rilke through the years would probably agree that they are the best modern and specifically American English versions that we have of Rilke's work. And any fans of Petrarch, the great 14th-century Italian sonneteer, would probably agree that there has been a distinct absence of decent English Petrarch translations. Therefore, the combination of Young's translation abilities with this under-translated, under-appreciated Italian master -- this is a marriage made in... Paradiso...! In this one volume, one finds not just a selection, but all of the poems about Laura (the unrequited love of Petrarch's life) -- arguably the first truly personal poems, and perhaps the first modern poems, ever written, anywhere, by anyone.Young's translation preserves the tone and iambic pentameter of this early Renaissance poet, while bringing something distinctly modern and American and emotionally authentic to each poem. I.E., this is not a stale academic "literal" translation, nor does it assault the reader with bad, clunking English rhymes.It does what all the best translations have always done: It re-creates the immediacy and living beauty of another culture, literally breathing new life into words that might otherwise be inaccessible, for whatever reasons.

This book is a major achievement by one of the best translators, and poets, that we have in America.If you are not familiar with Petrarch, or David Young, a wonderful treat awaits you! ... Read more

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"Mark Musa, in editing and translating Petrarch's Canzoniere, has performed a wonderful service to the English-speaking reader. Here, in one volume, are included the poet's own selection of the best lyric verse he wrote throughout his life, accompanied by brief but useful notes . . . " --Chronicles

"As well as skillful and fluent verse renderings of the 366 lyrics that make up this milestone in the development of Western poetic tradition, Musa offers copious and up-to-date annotation to each poem . . . along with a substantial, sensitive, and intelligent introduction that is genuinely helpful for the first-time reader and thought provoking for Petrarch scholars and other medievalists."--Choice

The 366 poems of Petrarch's 1/2Canzoniere represent one of the most influential works in Western literature. Varied in form, style, and subject matter, these "scattered rhymes" contains metaphors and conceits that have been absorbed into the literature and language of love. In this bilingual edition, Mark Musa provides verse translations, annotations, and an introduction co-authored with Barbara Manfredi. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

One of the Best Petrarch Translations
Petrarch, an Italian poet in the early 1300's, had a major influence on English literature in the 16th and 17th centuries.In a series of sonnets that became known as Canzoniere, Petrarch focused on his idea of love based on the sighting of a woman named Laura in a church.Though she was married, Petrarch confessed his love to her but was rebuked each time.With his love unreturned, he channeled that energy into his poetry and instead of trying to persuade Laura, his poetry idealizes and describes the concepts related to beauty.The poetry of the "lover" to the "beloved" describes Laura with "godly" attributes.The beloved is a woman who has an angelic appearance and a certain grace in her mannerisms.Physically, the beloved has blonde hair, blue eyes and pale white skin with red cheeks.She is radiant in appearance and can strike a man's heart in seconds.In addition, Petrarch's writing mechanics influenced the style in which future poems were written.Petrarch's poetry also followed a distinct meter, usually an octave scale. Petrarch's deliberate style and notion of beauty found in his sonnets set a new standard for writing.

Sidney, Spencer, and even Shakespeare were familiar with, and heavily influenced by, Petrarch's work. Other English poets like Henry Howard and Sir Thoms Wyatt tried to translate Petrarch's poetry.In order to understand this entire time peroid, one should go back to the roots and read the original.Mark Musa's translation includes the original Italian version as well as an excellent English translation.My professors also use this book because the translations stay as close to the original as possible.Though something is always lost in translation, these poems feel as if they are whole, and should be read as one long story.Musa's critical notes at the end of the book provide excellent insight into Petrarch's style, form and meaning.This is a great version of the Canzoniere and I highly recommend it.

A Must for Anyone who Collects Petrarchan Work
In addition to one of the finest translations, Musa provides much useful background information.He includes a chronological table that comprises when the poems were written and times when the events occurred in Petrarch's live.The notes and commentary, not footnoted but located separately from the poems in a chapter at the end of the book, are detailed descriptions about the poems and its allegories.Musa tells readers about the name "Laura" and its connection to the laurel.Through the various explanations of Italian lyrics, readers learn how to differentiate between various poetic genres. The book also has the original Italian text as well as the English translation, so that readers can compare them.It is a great way to learn how to read Italian. Another important feature is the works cited because scholars can seek the same readings that Musa used for his book.And also, the index of the first lines is very helpful when one remembers a few beginning words of the poem and wants to know where it is located in the book.This edition is a must for anyone who collects the works of Petrarca.

Finally a good English Petrarch!
This edition of Petrarch's Canzoniere (trans. Mark Musa) is the best English rendering I have seen.Durling's edition, while useful in different ways (I would certainly reccommend both to anyone seriously interested in Petrarch), doesn't provide translations that are nearly as poetic or comfortable as these.Musa's experience from translating Dante's Divine Comedy and Vita Nuova, Boccaccio's Decameron, and even, previously, portions of Petrarch's Canzoniere, definitely shines through here - Musa knows his way around the Italian greats, and it shows in this translation.

Should be read as a novel from start to finish
While there are other good translations of selections from the Canzoniere, Petrarcch's masterpiece needs to be read as a whole from start to finish in order to be fully appreciated. Petrarch planned and rewrote these poems in order to fit into an overall plan.
Usually I skip introductions to works that I read but I read the first paragraph of the extensive introduction and was quickly drawn in. This introduction was actualy a helpful prologue to the poetry which descibed Petrach's styles and intentions.
A blurb on the book cover says that Musa's treanslations read so well that you are unaware that they are translations. I certainly agree. I do not read Italian but this edition does conain the originals on the adjacent side.
I was surprised at the modernity and musicality of the poems. Petrarch was not just inflouential in his versification but also in his language. Much of his humanistic language has become second nature to us but he invented it.
Irank this book as not only some of the graetest poetry but as one ofthe great works of Western llterature.
These "little songs" are highly readble and like a said before form a sort of novelistic story that I would highly recommend to not just poetry readers but all readers.

essential to western poetry
Musa's translations preserve all the brilliant visionary beauty & humble humanness of Petrarch's voice.& where would western literature be without Petrarch?He was one of the main people to bring Europe out of the Middle Ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Thumbs Up!
Durlings edition is a must read! this is a beautiful book that consists of the stunningly beautiful lyrics poems by Petrarch. The translations are accurate which makes this a great tool for readers and students.

Captures Petrach's fragmented soul
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.

Captures Petrach's fragmented soul
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.

Voi ch'ascoltate
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.

Bi-Lingual Canzoniere
Everyone should read the beautiful and romantic poems by Francesco Petrarca, one of the great masters of Italian literature!Scholar Robert M. During has masterfully translated the Canzoniere poems in this bi-lingual edition, allowing you to enjoy them in either the original Italian or English. ... Read more

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This entirely new translation includes Petrarch's shortautobiographical prose works, The Letter to Posterityand The Ascent of Mount Ventoux, and a selection oftwenty-seven poems from the Canzoniere, Petrarch'sbest-known work in Italian. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Start Of A New Kind Of Life.
The influence by Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) on the poetry of Italy and the rest of western Europe was remarkable. But as important as his italian poems were his letters and essays. These writings discussed a way of life and thinking that formed the basis of Humanism (where - in short - the emphasis is on human accomplishments and not on God).

As a writer of letters (mainly his correspondence with friends and colleagues) he wrote in the style and used the accomplished tradition of classic writers such as Cicero and Seneca. But in-spite the influence of this tradition Petrarca's letters are very personal and authentic.
In a vivid way these letters describe the author and his surroundings. He writes about the many travels he made and his interest in Antiquity.

One of the most important documents by his hand is his description of him walking up the Mount Ventoux and the description of the thoughts he had during that long walk are one of the most important building stones of the Italian Renaissance, the start of a new kind of life.

A thoughtful selection in translation
Petrarch just isn't my favorite.That said, he is worth reading, savoring; his verse and prose are worth reflecting upon.This is a great writer and mind of an important time period in Western European history and culture that is often overlooked. Petrarch is a product of Feudal Italy and the Western Schism (the Avignon Popes) and his writings give a new dimension to the time period, particularly for anyone who already enjoys the history, music, painting, tapestries, sculptures and architecture of this era.

Italy and France are on the very verge of that explosion of cultural growth and development we now call the Renaissance. This is that very pregnant spot on the time line of Western European history when everything is about to change (within a hundred years or so)and Petrarch is an important voice and a significant person of the time.

The end notes and introduction are both very well done -- as one would expect of anything associated with Oxford's World Classics series. Both the introduction and the notes add significant contextual value to the author's works. This little selection of his works in translation is a volume very worthy of any Anglophone's bookcase.

"One of the Greatest Poets of All Time"
The Italian philosopher, Fransesco Petracha (1304-74), who was responsible for the recovery of many Latin manuscripts, who was one of the primary causes of the revival of Latin letters, and who, like Dante, wrote much of his poetry in the vulgar tongue, is one of the greatest poets of all time and one of the most influential men in the history of the western world.Of the poems he wrote in his native Italian, 366 have survived under the name "Canzoniere" (short-song).Roughly 45 of the 366 poems are provided here in an excellent, faithful translation which steers clear of that cancerous and faulty element in poetry--the rhyme.They were carefully selected for their content, so the discouraging number of 45 poems seems bigger when the editor's subtle discretion is taken into account.The basis of these poems--like Dante's Beatrice and Catallus' Lesbia--rests mostly upon Petrach's undying love for Laura, but at times his verse resounds with political and religious themes, and with praises of Rome's past and the Italy of his own time.Every poem will be an enjoyable read; they are always profound and inspiring in their glorification of feminine beauty; and the vivid and picturesque allusions to nature are always soothing and edifying.One may easily see, after reading Petrach's "Canzoniere," Horace handing Petrach his pen and Virgil his laurel crown, for they were as real to him as the lines of his poetry.They guided him through the fields of Italy and lent him breaths of inspiration along the way.Petrarch was anything but a mean and vulgar poet; he deservedly stands out as great amongst the greatest.Also included are some short prose works (letters) which throw some significant light upon the life and character of Petrach.This conveniently sized collection of the poet laureate's works is thoroughly recommended. ... Read more

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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.Foreword by Germaine Greer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not what I thought
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.

Petrarch the philosopher
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.

Wonderful book!
Enough said.If you enjoy this genre of literiture you will love this book.

Intimate to say the least
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. ... Read more

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Included in this highly useful volume are "Letter to Posterity"; 139 sonnets; odes 5, 6, 14, 16, 17, 21, and 29; the Metrical Letters "To Giacomo Colonna," and "To Italy"; and a complete list of sources. While most translations of Petrarch's work are by twentieth-century scholars in modern idiom, this insightful selection also presents classic translations by Chaucer, Wyatt, and Surrey. Edited by Thomas G. Bergin, this edition also contains a fine introduction, a list of principal dates in the life of Petrarch, as well as a bibliography ... Read more

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Petrarch was one of the founding fathers of Renaissance humanism, yet the nature and significance of his ideas are still widely debated. In this book, Gur Zak examines two central issues in Petrarch's works - his humanist philosophy and his concept of the self. Zak argues that both are defined by Petrarch's idea of care for the self. Overcome by a strong sense of fragmentation, Petrarch turned to the ancient idea that philosophy can bring harmony and wholeness to the soul through the use of spiritual exercises in the form of writing. Examining his vernacular poetry and his Latin works from both literary and historical perspectives, Zak explores Petrarch's attempts to use writing as a spiritual exercise, how his spiritual techniques absorbed and transformed ancient and medieval traditions of writing, and the tensions that arose from his efforts to care for the self through writing. ... Read more

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Franceso Petrarch (1304-1374), creator of the sonnet form, remained for more than three hundred years the most influential poet in Europe, his works more widely read than even those of Dante. This collection contains English language versions of his poems from across six centuries, in a wide variety of translations and reinterpretations. Spanning the "Trionfi" series and the "Canzoniere" - Petrarch's empassioned sonnet-sequence concerning his beloved Laura - it also includes great English poems influenced by Petrarch. From Chaucer's early adaptation of a Petrarchan sonnet in "Troilus" and "Criseyde" to the sixteenth century translations by the Earl of Surrey, Byron's mocking consideration of the Canzoniere in "Don Juan" and Ezra Pound's parody "Silet", all provide a unique insight into the significance of the founder of the European lyric tradition. ... Read more

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John Larner examines all the major developments across the Italian peninsula in the period that saw the rise of Florence and Venice, the development of a commercial empire by Italian towns which stretched from England to China, as well as the extraordinary cultural growth of the time. ... Read more

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This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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At some point in January or early February of 1347, Petrarch briefly visited the remote Carthusian monastery of Montrieux, where, four years before, his beloved brother, Gherardo, had pledged himself to live in perpetuity as a renditus, one who took the same vows as a monk but who was not cloistered. In the day and night he spent at Montrieux, Petrarch spoke privately with Gherardo, had lively discussions with other residents, and attended religious services celebrated by the brothers with "angelic singing." Unwilling to disturb the rigid discipline of the monastery longer, he reluctantly departed the next morning accompanied by the prior and the brothers to the limits of their property and he imagined them continuing to watch him until he disappeared from view.

Returning to the Vaucluse, still "mindful of that whole blessed sweetness which I drank in with you," and troubled that in the course of the hasty visit he had not been able to say many things that he would like to have said, he decided "to express in writing what I was not able to do in person."

The body of the work that was to become the De otio religioso was composed sometime during Lent or between February 11 and March 29 of that year. Not untypically, however, Petrarch continued to add to the text as late as 1356, and the finished treatise was probably not dispatched to Gherardo until 1357.

This first English translation by Susan S. Schearer faithfully and elegantly presents Petrarch's exordium to the life of contemplation and offers the reader a fresh view into the spiritual world of fourteenth-century humanism.

Ronald G. Witt's introduction places the work into its historical and intellectual context, discusses its structure and development, and examines Petrarch's characteristic synthesis of Christian and classical sources.

First English translation. Introduction, Notes, Bibliography, Index of Citations, General Index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Hidden Thoughts of a Misrepresented Mind
In high school and college classrooms, Francesco Petrarca has been touted as the father of modern humanism, a proto-atheist fighting to free people's minds from the superstition of religion and to return to the ideals of classical Greece and, especially, Rome. While elements of this characterization are true (it is hard to deny Petrarch's heartfelt admiration for Rome, its virtues, and its pagan saints), this little-read book allowed me to see the deeper reality of Petrarch's spirituality.

Within the pages of this book, one is able to see Petrarch's spiritual life in process. He is a non-monastic outsider looking in on a lifestyle he admires, a lifestyle that he consciously rejected in his youth. However, following the death of Laura, his paramour, and a visit to his brother Gherrardo in a Cluniac monastery, Petrarch began to reevaluate his spiritual priorities. Ultimately, this book stands as a testimony to the depth of his own religious renaissance. While he clearly admires many of the virtues of classical civilization, he is consistently critical of the hypocrisy that infiltrated much of ancient Greco-Roman life. Even his beloved Cicero is not immune to Petrarch's reproach.

In many ways, this book reveals many parallels between Petrarch and St. Jerome regarding his spiritual development. Both dedicated their youngest years to the study of classical pagan/agnostic literature, imbibing the aesthetic and moral principles that guided the thought and composition of the ancient writers. However, as they reached maturity, both suddenly came to believe that their former lives were lives of error, not so much because they had been studying immoral literature, but that they had been neglecting the most important literature for their lives--the Bible. Both continued to make frequent reference to pagan literature, but it began to take a secondary role in their intellectual lives. While at first they believed the Bible to be aesthetically inferior, both came to a deeper appreciation of the varying aesthetics that dominated the conventions of its composition.

The primary difference between Petrarch and Jerome, as I see it, is that Jerome's legacy as a spiritual thinker is secure, while Petrarch's has been ignored by a literary and artistic world more concerned with the aesthetically more influential Canzionere than the religious works that he wrote in Latin. Petrarch's role as a spiritual thinker is central to On Religious Leisure. His ultimate purpose in this work is to impress upon his brother's co-monastics the nobility of their monastic life, and the blessing that their religious leisure constitutes. He admiringly admonishes them throughout to "take time" to see God as God, and to persevere in their battle against worldly pleasures.

As a person who has become interested in medieval spirituality, I found Petrarch's insights to be surprisingly pious for someone of his reputation. While I found the rationalism of his religious faith to be a bit more intransigent than I could personally endorse, it provides a valuable counterpoint to the mystical theology that was so prevalent in the medieval Catholic Church (and today as well). Among the book's demerits is Petrarch's addiction to tangential discussions. His forays into classical history and literature tend to diverge significantly from the topic at hand, and while interesting, make the book difficult to follow in some places.

I found Shearer's translation to be very readable. I don't read Latin, so I can't comment on its accuracy, but the language is both accessible and thoughtful. I also found her division of the book into chapters useful, as it would be a difficult text to plow through without some sort of marker's against which to gauge one's progress. The footnotes to Petrarch's quotes were also very helpful, giving a visual demonstration of the literary context in which Petrarch intended his work to be received. While there were some clear biblical and literary allusions that were not noted in this edition (which I believe to be the only English edition of this work), perhaps a more scholarly second edition will emend those oversights.

Overall, I found this book to be well put-together and enjoyable to read. But beware, lest you find your preconceptions challenged.
... Read more

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The late antique Church father, Augustine, fascinated writers of the Italian Renaissance. They perceived him to be a conduit of classical and Christian truths, and an example of the life of the intellect reconciled to a life of faith. This book traces the availability and the reception of Augustine from the fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth century, and discusses the saint's influence on thinkers and humanists, such as Petrarch, as well as his representation in works of art. The religious order who claims him as their founder sponsored several major fresco cycles portraying the life of the saint, while, in single portraits, artists alluded to Augustine's aesthetic theory as it was manifest in his concept of divine illumination. The Sistine Chapel represents the fulfillment of his theological and philosophical legacy, one that began in the fifteenth century and extended through the completion of Michelangelo's 'Last Judgment'. ... Read more