Petrarch The Canzoniere, or Rerum vulgarium fragmenta [Paperback]

Petrarchs characterization of the hapless lover has become an archetype. Indeed, in many of his poems on the pain and the bitter pleasure of love, we inevitably recognize a vivid and timely picture of ourselves. Humble sinner, aesthete, contemplative, man of the world, secretly tormented spirit, droll observer and advocate of life, Petrarchs protagonist is as richly complex as the age he lived in.

The 366 poems of Petrarchs Canzoniere represent one of the most influential works in Western literature. Varied in form, style, and subject matter, these scattered rhymes contain 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.

Preface
Introduction

The Canzoniere

Notes and Commentary
Works Cited
Index of First Lines
Index

MARK MUSA, Distinguished Professor of Italian at Indiana University, is well known for his translations of the Italian classics, including the works of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, and Machiavelli. He is editor of Dantes Inferno: The Indiana Critical Edition. BARBARA MANFREDI, an independent researcher, has pursued a lifelong interest in radical poets, with a current focus on Dante.