Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Penguin Classics (1969), Paperback, 128 pages
Description
La Vita Nuova (1292 ?94) has many aspects. Dante ?s libello, or ?little book, ? is most obviously a book about love. In a sequence of thirty-one poems, the author recounts his love of Beatrice from his first sight of her (when he was nine and she eight), through unrequited love and chance encounters, to his profound grief sixteen years later at her sudden and unexpected death. Linked with Dante ?s verse are commentaries on the individual poems ?their form and meaning ?as well as the events and feelings from which they originate. Through these commentaries the poet comes to see romantic love as the first step in a spiritual journey that leads to salvation and the capacity for divine love. He aims to reside with Beatrice among the stars. David Slavitt gives us a readable and appealing translation of one of the early, defining masterpieces of European literature, animating its verse and prose with a fluid, lively, and engaging idiom and rhythm. His translation makes this first major book of Dante ?s stand out as a powerful work of art in its own regard, independent of its ?junior ? status to La Commedia. In an Introduction, Seth Lerer considers Dante as a poet of civic life. ?Beatrice, ? he reminds us, ?lives as much on city streets and open congregations as she does in bedroom fantasies and dreams. ?… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lloannna
Arguably the very best book of poetry I will ever read, though that's mostly because I hate poetry and love technical writer stuff. Seriously, the Lord of the Rings is about half as long for me as it was for it's author - I read perhaps two lines of poetry in the entire thing before giving up.
Also awesome from a former-history-major standpoint. If you'd like to know how educated young people in the 13th century thought, it's a must-read.
I particularly appreciated my translator (Penguin Classics edition) - she didn't bother with "thee" and such, and made the whole thing a lot more accessible (and I say this as a girl who prefers her Bible to be the King James Version.)
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Weirdly, the explanations in this one actually made me want to go back and read the poems.Also awesome from a former-history-major standpoint. If you'd like to know how educated young people in the 13th century thought, it's a must-read.
I particularly appreciated my translator (Penguin Classics edition) - she didn't bother with "thee" and such, and made the whole thing a lot more accessible (and I say this as a girl who prefers her Bible to be the King James Version.)
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LibraryThing member humdog
this is a beautiful book. all the beatrice stuff is here.
LibraryThing member Fledgist
A modern translation of Dante's lyric verse.
LibraryThing member BayardUS
The aspect of Vita Nuova I found most interesting is that it is simultaneously doing several things: it functions as an account of part of Dante's life and career, as well as a compilation of his poetry, an explanation of that poetry, and a love story. Unfortunately none of these facets of the work
A bit disappointing, but gives a better understanding of Dante's thoughts and writing style. Though I found it underwhelming on its own, I may yet be happy I read it when I get around to rereading The Divine Comedy.
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stood out to me as particularly moving or interesting. It's far too bare-bones an account of Dante's life and career to satiate my curiosity on that front, I didn't find the poetry on display here very beautiful or striking (though I read an English translation by Mark Musa, and translation often strips poetry of much of its force), the insight that Dante shares about his poetry leans toward the technical, and when it comes to being a love story I found this far inferior to the love story aspect of The Divine Comedy.A bit disappointing, but gives a better understanding of Dante's thoughts and writing style. Though I found it underwhelming on its own, I may yet be happy I read it when I get around to rereading The Divine Comedy.
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LibraryThing member encephalical
I was more fascinated by his dissection of his own poems than the poems themselves.
LibraryThing member jonfaith
Your sisters bringing messages of gladness;
And you, who are the daughter of my sadness,
Seek out their company, disconsolate.
Lovely structure and I applaud the Florentine when he isn’t burning sinners. The spirit and sense data are privileged over reason. Our boy is loopy over Beatrice. He drools
I won’t spoil the turn. Extreme emotion appears fairly uniform. That is a treatise all its own. As would be a song cycle from Beatrice’s perspective. The entire project reeks of dislocation, not yearning.
There’s an intriguing aside late in the text regarding the rise of vernacular poetry. It occurred so women could be wooed. Also ubiquitous is the number nine, though I fear if you played it backwards it would say turn me on, dead man, turn me on. If that isn’t a plea for Christ, I don’t know what is. I again offer apologies for my apostasy.
And you, who are the daughter of my sadness,
Seek out their company, disconsolate.
Lovely structure and I applaud the Florentine when he isn’t burning sinners. The spirit and sense data are privileged over reason. Our boy is loopy over Beatrice. He drools
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and convulses in her presence. Composure is found afterwards and sonnets composed. He’s got it bad. I won’t spoil the turn. Extreme emotion appears fairly uniform. That is a treatise all its own. As would be a song cycle from Beatrice’s perspective. The entire project reeks of dislocation, not yearning.
There’s an intriguing aside late in the text regarding the rise of vernacular poetry. It occurred so women could be wooed. Also ubiquitous is the number nine, though I fear if you played it backwards it would say turn me on, dead man, turn me on. If that isn’t a plea for Christ, I don’t know what is. I again offer apologies for my apostasy.
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LibraryThing member bishopjoey
Rossetti's translation is kind of strange, but it was a nice backup to reading the Divine Comedy.
LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
This was a great, first-person look at Dante's young life and his exposure to Beatrice- who permeated and influenced much of his work. The passion, trembling and careful, that he espouses onto the pages here is without measure in nearly all accounts that I have seen. This is seeing Dante's world
4 stars.
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through his own eyes and it is quite a portrait indeed. Through reading this, I was able to understand him a little better and that's a great thing when we are dealing with someone with such an important literary stature and importance.4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Ghost_Boy
This is a quick little read if you are craving more Dante after his Divine Comedy. I still love the way he (or the translators) write. However, as quick and beautiful this may seem, it's still a little tedious to read. Before reading this one should ask: How much do I care about Dante talking about
For those that don't know the history, Beatrice was Dante's love until she passed. After she died it's clear that Dante never forgot about her. In his Divine Comedy she is his guide when Virgil couldn't enter Heaven and in Vita Nuova she is his poetic muse. Not much is known about Beatrice other than what we know of Dante.
Reading this I started to question their relationship. I know Dante loved Beatrice with all his heart. It's often romantic how he treated her. Did Beatrice love Dante though? Like I have said, she didn't have her own voice, only words Dante put into her's in Heaven (unless Dante actually went to Heaven and meet her there). If only someone found her writings, that is if she even wrote anything.
Been reading Shakespeare and Rossetti too and slowly getting motivated to write some poetry. My poems may be a little on the sloppy side, but it's all about how you write a poem. Now this was also a book about poetry. Kind of a how-to or self-evaluation. I found those parts more interesting than his love for Beatrice.
Overall, I wouldn't recommended this to anyone, but those who like Dante and have read all three parts of the Divine Comedy (not just the Inferno). This is kind of a let down and no were near as well written. You can pretty much avoid this book.
I will note I really like the cover to the Penguin edition. Love the illustration with Dante and Beatrice. The deep blues, golden yellows, and flower pinks really make the book appealing to look at, just wish I could judge a book by it's cover.
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his love for Beatrice?For those that don't know the history, Beatrice was Dante's love until she passed. After she died it's clear that Dante never forgot about her. In his Divine Comedy she is his guide when Virgil couldn't enter Heaven and in Vita Nuova she is his poetic muse. Not much is known about Beatrice other than what we know of Dante.
Reading this I started to question their relationship. I know Dante loved Beatrice with all his heart. It's often romantic how he treated her. Did Beatrice love Dante though? Like I have said, she didn't have her own voice, only words Dante put into her's in Heaven (unless Dante actually went to Heaven and meet her there). If only someone found her writings, that is if she even wrote anything.
Been reading Shakespeare and Rossetti too and slowly getting motivated to write some poetry. My poems may be a little on the sloppy side, but it's all about how you write a poem. Now this was also a book about poetry. Kind of a how-to or self-evaluation. I found those parts more interesting than his love for Beatrice.
Overall, I wouldn't recommended this to anyone, but those who like Dante and have read all three parts of the Divine Comedy (not just the Inferno). This is kind of a let down and no were near as well written. You can pretty much avoid this book.
I will note I really like the cover to the Penguin edition. Love the illustration with Dante and Beatrice. The deep blues, golden yellows, and flower pinks really make the book appealing to look at, just wish I could judge a book by it's cover.
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Language
Original language
Italian
Original publication date
1292
Physical description
128 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
0140442162 / 9780140442168