The Great Poets – Francesco Petrarch

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This 14th-century Italian poet was a model for many who followed him. His passionate sonnets to Laura became the epitome for love poetry. Over some 40 years he wrote 366 sonnets to Laura, whom he probably never even spoke to, and they remain immediate and affecting even now. Called Rime Sparse (Scattered Rhymes), they influenced Chaucer and many others. This is an unusual addition to ‘The Great Poets’, but part of the intention of the series is to cover the major stepping stones of world poetry.

Critics Review

Starred Review
Italian poet Petrarch’s 14th-century Laura sonnets dramatize the many faces of love and yearning in a way that is as relevant today as it was centuries ago. Selections compiled by Peter Whitfield (The History of English Poetry) and drawing from a 1931 English-language translation by American poet Joseph Auslande are here read by classical actor Anton Lesser, who conveys just the right tone of unrequited love and longing relieved by wit. An excellent addition to Naxos’s ‘Great Poets’ series, which to date collects the works of 18 classical poets, including Milton, Dickinson, and Keats; recommended for listeners interested in Renaissance poetry and timeless love sonnets.

Nancy R. Ives, Library Journal

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