Letters of Old Age (Rerum senilium libri): Vol. 1: Books I-IX (The Petrarch Project Book 4)

In two volumes Aldo Bernardo and his collaborators extend the translation project begun with the Familiares to the letter collection of Petrarch’s old age, the Seniles. In these 128 letters, most of which appear for the first time here in English translation, we find Petrarch’s mature judgment on the central issues of early Italian humanism. With Boccaccio, to whom he addresses more letters than anyone else, Petrarch shares his ideas about the literary culture of the age. Two entire books on the structure and role of the Church are addressed to Pope Urban V and his secretary, Francesco Bruni, and another large block of letters on statecraft and political virtue are addressed to such powerful rulers as Pandolfo Malatesta, Francesco da Carrara, and [Emperor] Charles IV. More personal themes emerge as well, including Petrarch’s thoughts on the passage of time, the meaning of death, and the loss of friends; on faith, providence, and life after death; and on eating, drinking, and fashions in clothing. Petrarch’s Latin translation of the patient Griselda story from Boccaccio’s Decameron is also found here, and the collection closes with the famous Letter to Posterity, Petrarch’s final literary self-portrait.” — Neo-Latin News THIS COMPLETE TRANSLATION has long been out of print and is reproduced here in its entirety in two volumes. Vol. 1, Books I-IX, 368 pp. Introduction, notes. Read more