Poems and Selected Letters (The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe) (English and Italian Edition)

Indeed, you can't but love this title and 16th century woman and verse found here. Especially if you are a poet at heart. Or if you love attractive women who take beauty and brains to a place of spirituality and power.The editor and compiler, Ann Rosalind Jones, brings back the old Veronica Franco poems and letters from centuries past, gives them a great context. Indeed see the 1998 movie too, Dangerous Beauty by director Marshall Herskovitz and writers Margaret Rosenthal and Jeannine Dominywhich staring Catherine McCormack, Rufus Sewell and Oliver Platt. I must confess the movie inspired me to buy this book. But I remain a great lover of erotic verse from all the centuries.In my short life I've been fortunate to get to know academically a couple retired courtesans, sex workers and educators who now write and teach. I so love their minds and wisdom, ever as much as the many men and women who loved their hearts and bodies... and paid a lot more than I did to get value from these women of the evening. They remain for me priestesses of a world that will always be somehow divine. I'd love to have had coffee and hung out with this beauty!So, a wonderful book to add to your poetry shelf. This quote alone will make you fall in love with a woman born perhaps too soon."When we too are armed and trained, we can convince men that we have hands, feet, and a heart like yours; and although we may be delicate and soft, some men who are delicate are also strong; and others, coarse and harsh, are cowards. Women have not yet realized this, for if they should decide to do so, they would be able to fight you until death; and to prove that I speak the truth, amongst so many women, I will be the first to act, setting an example for them to follow." --Veronica Franco

Veronica Franco is a woman whose thoughts and deeds have escaped the destruction of vicious men and time. Circumstances led her to lead the life of a courtesan, and her great brain and great body allowed her to see clearly and live well in an era when almost all women, rich and poor, were the chattel of men. Franco's poetry and her letters survive to shed light on a society was leading the Renaissance although it still had many characteristics in common with today's Taliban. Franco is a quiet heroine who was not afraid of her ideas and not ashamed of her sex or of sex. A great lady!

To read the Italian and then the translation into English - this book is a superb rendition of how the Italian character thinks and how much beauty there is.There are many stanzas which stand alone as beautiful quotes.

If you love poetry and this period and know anything about Veronica Franco, this book will be enjoyable... Keep in mind, I was a bit shocked, more sad to see how far off the movie (which I LOVE) "Dangerious Beauty" was from this book... They took the good parts and used them for the movie but it appears that Veronica Franco had a much harder life than the movie showed... However, she did a LOT for WOMEN and their rights... Worth it, get the book...

So beautiful, plus you get the Italian right next to the English version so you can really enjoy all the original writing as much as the translation

Very informative book about Veronica Franco, but is more of a text book for women's studies than a biography.

On time.Love it!!

both the front and back covers are "curly" although i've had the book weighted now this past week hoping that this would straighten the covers but alas nothing seems to be doing the trick

This is a great series (Other Voices in EM Europe) making non-canonical works and writers available at an accessible price. And this volume is one of my favourites. Veronica Franco was one of the most beautiful and successful of the C16th Venetian courtesans ( Dangerous Beauty [DVD] [1998 ] is a romantic 'version' of her life), but far, far more than a pretty face, she was also intelligent, intellectual and a great writer.This is the first translation into English of 15 of the 50 letters she published, and all the poetry. Influenced by the classical letter collections (Cicero, Seneca, Pliny) she makes the medium her own, referencing Cicero in the title (ad familiares) and yet setting up a fascinating dialogue with Ovid's 'dual letters' from the Heroides ( Heroides: 001 (Loeb Classical Library) ).Her poetry, too, engages with classical models, particularly Latin love elegy (Catullus, Propertius, Tibullus, Ovid) but re-writes it from a woman's view, turning some of the conventions on their head.Witty, vivid, graceful, Veronica Franco uses her writing to both advertise her intellectual and erotic skills as a courtesan, and yet at the same time ensure that she is the subject of her own sexuality, rather than just a commodity exchanged for male pleasure.Great poetry, a vivid picture of Renaissance Venice, and a strong personality: this collection is a bargain at the price. Dangerous Beauty [DVD] [1998Heroides: 001 (Loeb Classical Library)

Son los poemas y cartas de Veronica Franco. Después de ver la película Dangerous beauty/A destiny of her own quería saber más. Complementa al libro The honest courtesan en el que se basó la película.