La Vita Nuova: Love Poems

La Vita Nuova (The New Life) is Dante’s first major work. Set in thirteenth century Florence, Dante describes his love for Beatrice through poems, sonnets and prose. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is the English translation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti which was first published in The Early Italian Poets in 1861 and then reissued in 1874 by Dante and his Circle. It was met with great acclaim acknowledging Rossetti’s skill as a meticulous and poetic translator. From the first time the poet sets eyes on Beatrice, he says ‘love quite governed my soul’ and his devotion to her knows no end. By recalling each meeting with Beatrice, including a rejection by her, this short book is at once a heartfelt account of youthful love and a religious allegory. La Vita Nuova serves as an important precursor to Dante’s masterpiece, The Divine Comedy.