The Poetry of Petrarch

Rating:
Summary: At Last -- The Definitive Petrarch Translation!
Review: 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!