Vita Nuova

A Penguin Classic

The Vita nuova is elaborately and symbolically patterned, consisting of a selection of Dante's early poems interspersed with his own prose commentary. The poems themselves tell the story of his love for Beatrice, from their first meeting at a May Day party in her father's house, through Dante's sufferings and his attempts to conceal the true object of his devotion by the use of screen-loves, to his overwhelming grief at her death, ending with the transformative vision of her in heaven. These are some of the richest love poems in literature, and the movement from self-pitying lament to praise for the beloved's beauty and virtue illustrate the elevating power of love.

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